The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday will consider appointing Mayor Karen Bass to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Commission for a three-year term, ending on June 30, 2026.
In a letter to the Council, Bass is asking the City Council to confirm her appointment to “further confront the number one crisis facing our city.” The city and county of Los Angeles declared a state of emergency regarding homelessness and implementing strategies to bring unhoused Angelenos inside from encampments.
Bass added, “Through my experience and commitment to address this emergency… I am qualified to serve as a member of the commission.”
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors, L.A. Mayor and City Council created LAHSA in 1993 as an independent, joint powers authority. LAHSA is the lead agency in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, which is the regional planning body that coordinates housing and services for homeless families and individuals in the county.
It also coordinates and manages more than $800 million annually in federal, state, county and city funds for programs that provide shelter, housing and services to people experiencing homelessness.
The 10-member LAHSA Commission has the authority to make budgetary, funding, planning and program policies. Members meet every fourth Friday of the month at 9 a.m. except November and December.
Of the 10 members, five are appointed by the county and the other five are appointed by L.A. City leaders.
Currently, L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath chairs the commission.