Mayor Karen Bass and six City Council members were set to return Thursday from three days of meetings with national leaders in Washington D.C. to advocate for additional resources for the city.
The contingent — including Council President Paul Krekorian, Bob Blumenfield, Eunisses Hernandez, Heather Hutt, Traci Park and Hugo Soto-Martinez — were expected to fly back to L.A. overnight Wednesday and Thursday morning on economy tickets. Bass previously reported “it was an excellent trip,” and “we definitely moved several of the decision-makers.”
Wednesday, the final day of meetings, Bass announced the city’s Department of Water and Power would receive $48 million of a $10.5 billion investment under the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership program. The money will help the department expand and strengthen clean energy systems in the event of extreme climate such as wildfires, heat waves or tropical storms.
Additionally, the delegation learned L.A. could be at risk of losing more than $100 million in Veteran Affairs benefits because Congress wants to “claw back” money to balance the federal budget. However, a legislative fix could prevent that, which appeared to be in the works following talks with L.A. area’s congressional delegation.
According to a representative from Bass’ office, whether that federal money will remain untouched by Congress is yet to be determined.
Bass previously said “follow up” will signify whether their visit was successful in their attempts to advocate for the city and secure federal funding.
Focal points of the meetings, Bass said, were on bringing more unhoused Angelenos inside, improving public safety, adding resources for veterans, enhancing transportation and increasing access to federal funding.
Bass, who is chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ National Task Force on Homelessness, said she emphasized L.A.’s homelessness crisis. The city has some 46,000 unhoused people, while the county has about 70,000, according to the 2023 homeless count.
“That’s why it’s so important that people are clear here, that decision-makers are clear about the magnitude of what we’re dealing with,” Bass told City News Service on Monday. “You cannot deal with Los Angeles like it is just another city that is struggling with homelessness. Nobody comes close to use in terms of the scale.”
Krekorian echoed Bass’ sentiments saying, “nature abhors a vacuum, and so does Washington.”
“If you are not here, and if you’re not advocating for the people of Los Angeles, then somebody else will be here advocating for the people of other cities,” Krekorian said. “So in order to make sure that Los Angeles is treated fairly and equitably, it’s important that the leaders of our city be here to have those face-to-face discussions.”
As a result of the trip, the City Council canceled its regularly scheduled meetings for Tuesday and Wednesday. The council will resume meetings Friday.