Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will not testify in a federal court hearing regarding the city’s homelessness programs. On Tuesday, Matthew Umhofer, an attorney for the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, informed U.S. District Judge David O. Carter that subpoenas for Bass and City Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and Traci Park were withdrawn. The decision aimed to avoid delays that could have extended the proceedings by several months, according to Umhofer.
The alliance, which sued Los Angeles in 2020 over its response to the homelessness crisis, initially sought testimony from the officials to determine if the city failed to comply with a 2022 settlement agreement. The agreement requires Los Angeles to provide 12,915 beds for the unhoused by June 2027. The alliance argues that the city is not meeting its milestones, while city officials maintain their commitment to the deadline.
Umhofer criticized Mayor Bass for not testifying, stating, “I think it’s cowardly for the mayor to not testify.” However, Theane Evangelis, an attorney for the city, countered that the subpoenas lacked legal basis and should not have been issued. Evangelis emphasized that the city is complying with the settlement and has made significant progress in reducing homelessness.
Bass declared a state of emergency on homelessness in 2022 and launched the Inside Safe program, which has moved thousands of unhoused individuals into temporary housing. Despite these efforts, the alliance contends that the city’s programs are broken and should be overseen by a third-party receiver.
The court hearings continue to focus on the city’s compliance with the settlement, and the alliance remains critical of the city’s progress. The proceedings will determine whether the city’s homelessness programs will be placed under receivership.
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