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≡ “STATE OF THE CITY” ≡
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass gave a lengthy “State of the City” address to a packed Los Angeles City Council chamber on Monday afternoon, alternately celebrating progress against continuing challenges such as crime and homelessness, but also insisting on better management and service levels:
● “In preparing for today, I reflected on my predecessors who addressed our city during times of civil unrest, recession, earthquakes and pandemics. No matter what our city faces, LA never ever gives up. LA always rises. Always rises.”
● “Today, in reporting on the State of our City, I report to Los Angeles that the recovery in the Palisades is on track to be the fastest in California history. We’re not just moving fast to move fast. We know that the faster we can rebuild, the faster we can heal. We still have a long way to go, and for those who have lost a home, each and every day is a day too long. We want to be fast, we want to be safe and we want to be resilient.
“We have issued permits to rebuild twice as fast as after the Camp and Woolsey fires, we restored water nearly a year and a half faster than after the Camp Fire, and we restored power in just two months. Los Angeles, I assure you, rebuilding is underway.”
● “[L.A. Police] Chief [Jim] McDonnell and I stand together in reporting good news that both violent crime and property crime are down in Los Angeles.
“This is the result of a comprehensive approach to safety. Last year, homicides fell by 14%. Gang-related homicides in communities most impacted fell by 45%. The number of shooting victims fell 19%.”
● “So we are taking action and making change, and after years of increasing homelessness, we are finally reversing that trend – homelessness is down. That includes a 10 percent reduction in street homelessness – and a 38 percent reduction in makeshift structures and tents. We are moving thousands more people from the streets than before we took office, and more Angelenos are being moved into permanent housing than ever before.”
● “[T]he reality is that our city faces a more than 800 million dollar deficit. … my proposed budget unfortunately includes layoffs, which is a decision of absolute last resort. …
“[N]ow, it is time to work together again so we can balance this year’s budget and create a foundation for long-lasting and long-overdue fiscal stability. I will make sure the city does its part. I want to be clear – the departmental changes contained in this budget proposal must only be the beginning. Because we must have fundamental change – starting now and moving forward. … This is a broken system – and to turn L.A. around, we have to fix this.”
Bass backed the L.A. Convention Center expansion project, now to be built before and after the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and at the end, closed by looking ahead to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Games:
“As the 2028 Games approach, I know Councilmember [Ysabel] Jurado is working hard to make Downtown ready for the Olympic games. Councilmember [Eunisses] Hernandez is working with the community to welcome Olympic baseball at Dodger Stadium. Councilmember [Imelda] Padilla is preparing for the pentathlon, which will be held at the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area. Councilmember [Curren] Price is working to welcome the USC Sports Center and Councilmember [Adrin] Nazarian will welcome Squash players to the East Valley. Thanks to Councilman [Tim] McOsker’s work and relationships, Team Croatia will be headquartered in San Pedro and maybe a few other things. We hope Councilwoman [Heather] Hutt will host Team South Korea in Koreatown. And you Councilwoman [Katy] Yaroslavsky, you will be gearing up for thousands of athletes to be housed at the Olympic Village in UCLA.
“Working to unite and prepare the City is our former Council President Paul Krekorian, now Executive Director for the Office of Major Events. And I want to thank you for ensuring the Olympic Flag and Paralympic Flag are here in Council chambers.
“When I think about these Games I think of icons like Anita DeFrantz. She is a trail-blazing Olympic medalist, who helped organize the 1984 Games for L.A., and she has been an IOC member since 1986 and thanks to Anita, and former Mayor Eric Garcetti and LA28’s Casey Wasserman, we will now be only the third city in history to host three Olympic Games.
“But most of all, most of all, the games are exemplified by people like Arelle Middleton.
“Arelle was introduced to sports at five years old … and since then she has participated in water polo, volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, shot put and discus. She’s a PlayLA athlete: a City program that provides access to sports at our Rec centers, and it’s powered by the Olympic and Paralympic movements.
“She didn’t let her challenges get in her way. So at 16 years old, Arelle became one of the youngest members of the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Team – and she won a silver medal in Paris [F64 shot put]. She exemplifies the opportunity and inspiration to young people that city initiatives like PlayLA and the Olympic Games provide. She is what the L.A. Games are all about!
“Now 2028 is right around the corner. But we are 15 months away from welcoming the world for the [FIFA] World Cup.
“We want people not just to see our stadiums. We want them to see the real L.A.: our neighborhoods from East L.A., to Pico Union to South L.A. From Watts to Woodland Hills, from Eagle Rock to Encino, from San Pedro to Sylmar. And we want our city to be at its best.
“So this is why I am calling on all Angelenos to come together to prepare our city to welcome the world. Let’s come together and do this.
“This Saturday [26th], we will launch Shine LA, to show the spirit of our city coming together. Every single month, we will bring Angelenos together side-by-side to unify and beautify our neighborhoods. Improving communities and parks; planting trees, painting murals and so much more.
“I invite all Angelenos to join us on Saturday. So we’ll be in South L.A., Boyle Heights, Echo Park, West L.A., the Valley, the Harbor area — and we’ll kick it off with a community celebration in Hollywood with more than forty organizations there and thanks to the partnership with Councilman [Hugo] Soto-Martinez, we will all begin to show our love for L.A. We have one goal: love L.A. We will show our love for each other, just like the spirit that we all felt in October – remember October – when we celebrated the Dodgers winning the World Series just across the street. That’s the kind of spirit that we need.
“So join us – and to join this movement– you can visit LAMayor.org and sign up today. This coming Saturday and every month until we welcome the world next July for the World Cup.
“It’s about pride.
“It’s about choosing to believe in our city again – and proving it with action.
“Block by block, we will come together to be stronger, more unified than ever before— and that matters, especially in a world that seeks to divide us with each passing day.
“Angelenos – this is about you. This is about all of us. It’s about choosing to believe in each other again, and in the future of the city we love.
“Because this is the City of dreams. So let me tell you a story.
“Leading up to 1984, we were in the midst of the worst recession in 40 years, the world doubted us. And yes, maybe we doubted ourselves too. But Los Angeles delivered the most successful Olympic Games in history. We didn’t just host the world; we redefined what was possible. Because the Games, at its best, are more than sport. They are a stage for courage. For potential. For dreams.
“So, L.A., let’s go win. Let’s win on the world stage – yes – but let’s especially win here at home.
“We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to each other.
“But most of all, we owe it to the next generation of Angelenos.”
¶
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