{"id":2649567,"date":"2026-08-25T19:21:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T23:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/karen-bass-absent-from-homelessness-meetings-despite-central-reelection-topic\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T20:06:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T00:06:04","slug":"karen-bass-absent-from-homelessness-meetings-despite-central-reelection-topic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/karen-bass-absent-from-homelessness-meetings-despite-central-reelection-topic\/","title":{"rendered":"Karen Bass absent from homelessness meetings despite central reelection topic"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkaren-bass-absent-from-homelessness-meetings-despite-central-reelection-topic%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2649567&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has prioritized addressing homelessness as a key issue of her administration and reelection efforts. Though, questions have arisen about her commitment due to her poor attendance record at LAHSA commission meetings she appointed herself to; she has missed over half of the meetings as joining in late 2023, including many since August 2025, which could lead to her removal based on bylaws. Critics argue that her attendance does not reflect her effectiveness, pointing out her initiatives like the Inside Safe program and the overall decline in homelessness during her tenure, including record decreases in street homelessness in 2024-2025. Supporters contend her results matter more than attendance and highlight her broader role as mayor, overseeing city operations and policies. The controversy over her attendance is viewed by some as a political tactic by her opponent and not as a significant threat to her campaign, with analysts emphasizing that voters are more concerned with tangible progress in reducing homelessness than meeting attendance.Political experts suggest that Bass\u2019s challenges extend beyond this issue, with broader concerns about her organizational skills and the changing political landscape, which favors candidates who focus on practicality and results rather than traditional policy battles. her self-appointment to the LAHSA commission and ongoing homelessness issues remain central points of scrutiny in her political race.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/karen-bass\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"2491\">Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass <\/a>(D) has made <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/homelessness\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1928\">homelessness <\/a>one of the defining issues of her administration and a central focus of her reelection campaign. But it\u2019s her abysmal attendance record on the commission overseeing the region\u2019s homelessness response that is raising questions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bass appointed herself to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lahsa.org\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.lahsa.org\/\">Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority<\/a> governing commission in late 2023, but according to an <em>LAist<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/laist.com\/news\/housing-homelessness\/bass-lahsa-commission-meetings-attendance-mayor\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/laist.com\/news\/housing-homelessness\/bass-lahsa-commission-meetings-attendance-mayor\">analysis<\/a> of public records, she has missed 25 of 47 commission meetings since joining. That includes 13 of 21 meetings since mid-August 2025. Her failure to show up could trigger provisions in LAHSA\u2019s bylaws allowing commissioners to be removed for excessive absenteeism. Bass\u2019s three-year term on the commission <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lahsa.org\/news?article=938-mayor-bass-appoints-herself-to-lahsa-commission\">ended June 30<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4700340\/karen-bass-skips-lahsa-meetings-homelessness-self-appointed-attendance-vs-results\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Karen Bass skips out on multiple LAHSA meetings despite homelessness being central to reelection campaign<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4699631\/gina-hinojosa-flock-texas-governor-abbott\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Gina Hinojosa releases new Flock-camera-focused campaign ad, attacking Abbott on privacy<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4699170\/rick-jackson-brian-kemp-national-guard-2026-elections\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Rick Jackson says Brian Kemp plans to get the National Guard to help with 2026 elections<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LAHSA has faced intense scrutiny over its handling of homelessness, its finances, and its future, while Bass is seeking another term as voters continue to judge her administration largely on its response to the homelessness crisis.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Rows of tents on the sidewalk in downtown Los Angeles, June 2, 2026. (Barnini Chakraborty\/Washington Examiner)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/image3-2<\/a>.jpeg?w=640&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rows of tents on the sidewalk in downtown Los Angeles, June 2, 2026. (Barnini Chakraborty\/Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mayor\u2019s office says Bass has remained up to date on LAHSA\u2019s work regardless of her attendance. Supporters also argue that Bass has been more engaged on homelessness than any previous Los Angeles mayor, pointing to her Inside Safe program, which moves unhoused people into temporary motel and hotel rooms, as well as broader efforts to move people from encampments into housing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But LAHSA Commissioner Justin Szlasa told <em>LAist<\/em> that commissioners need to attend meetings to participate in the agency\u2019s deliberative process.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nick Smith, a national political strategist with Polaris, dismissed the criticism as an effort by Bass\u2019s runoff opponent, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, to find an issue that could stick against the incumbent.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCouncil Member Raman is grasping for anything that will stick against incumbent Mayor Bass, and I don\u2019t think attendance at a commission is it,\u201d Smith told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He argued that Bass\u2019s record on homelessness should be measured by results, not her attendance at LAHSA meetings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat is a far more meaningful measure of whether the mayor is engaged on homelessness than how many LAHSA commission meetings she attended,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under Bass, Los Angeles saw homelessness decline for two consecutive years for the first time in city history. Street homelessness fell 17.5% from before she took office through the 2025 count, the largest two-year decline since the count began. However, the latest LAHSA homeless count numbers showed overall homelessness, referring to people without a fixed nighttime residence, increased 3.4% last year. Street homelessness, or people who live in tents, cars, and outdoors, rose 7.9%.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">Karen Bass arrives at the African American Film Critics Association\u2019s 8th annual TV Honors awards on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, at the City Club LA in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n<p>&#8221; data-large-file=&#8221;https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/2026\/08\/localimages\/AP26221052175497.jpg?w=696&#8243; &#8220;https:><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Karen Bass arrives at the African American Film Critics Association\u2019s 8th annual TV Honors awards on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, at the City Club LA in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell\/Invision\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith also said LAHSA\u2019s role should be viewed in the broader context of Bass\u2019s responsibilities as mayor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLAHSA is a commission that no one has really heard of,\u201d he said. \u201cBass runs the City of Los Angeles as chief executive.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As mayor, Bass oversees city departments, controls the municipal budget, directs the Inside Safe program, addresses encampments, accelerates housing construction, and makes the executive decisions that determine how the city responds to homelessness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her administration also has representation on LAHSA through Stephanie Graves, Bass\u2019s appointee, who chairs the commission.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSo I think the criticism gets the hierarchy backward,\u201d Smith said. \u201cBass\u2019s job is not to be the most faithful attendee at a commission meeting. Her job is to produce results on homelessness. And she has produced measurable results.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Los Angeles County has been moving some responsibilities away from LAHSA, while the Trump administration suspended LAHSA\u2019s ability to administer roughly $240 million in federal homelessness funding before a federal judge blocked the move. The agency now faces questions about its funding, authority, and future structure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith said Raman faces a more fundamental political challenge than attacking Bass over her LAHSA attendance: expanding her coalition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAt some point she has to do something she probably despises politically: make a serious pitch to moderates and Republicans who did not vote for either woman in the first round,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIf she can\u2019t win a meaningful share of those voters, she may have already shown us her ceiling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smith predicted the LAHSA attendance issue is more likely to become another opposition talking point than a factor that fundamentally changes the race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cVoters care about whether there are fewer people sleeping on their streets and whether the mayor is getting results,\u201d he said. \u201cBass has an actual record to point to on both.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael Fahey, founder of\u00a0Fahey Communications, told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that Bass appointing herself to the commission makes the optics significantly worse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf someone else had appointed her, there would at least be some distance,\u201d he said. \u201cShe made a deliberate decision to put herself in that seat. That creates an expectation that she intended to use it. Can this move voters? By itself, probably not many. But these stories rarely exist in isolation. Homelessness is already something voters see with their own eyes every day, and the latest count showed unsheltered homelessness increasing again. An attendance story can become another piece of evidence for voters who already believe the city\u2019s response isn\u2019t moving quickly enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Political expert Brad Chase offered a less forgiving assessment of Bass, arguing that the issue is not necessarily that the mayor is distracted but that she appears increasingly disorganized.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMayor Bass isn\u2019t distracted so much as she is disorganized,\u201d Chase told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. \u201cGoverning the city is a much more challenging job now than it was 10 years ago, but falling behind the times is her bigger area of concern.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4690625\/karen-bass-fake-poll-la-mayor-race\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"4690625\">KAREN BASS TOUTED FAKE POLL THAT SHOWED BIG LEAD IN LA MAYORAL RACE, FIRM SAYS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chase argued that Bass faces a broader political challenge, as progressive candidates in other major cities have shown they can defeat establishment politicians without necessarily winning every traditional policy fight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe far-left leaders racking up wins in New York, Seattle, and elsewhere don\u2019t even need to fight on the issues to win against establishment figures like Bass,\u201d Chase said. \u201cThey just have to show basic life skills inherent to the 2020s.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LA Mayor Bass&#8217;s homelessness focus challenged by poor LAHSA attendance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2649568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/karen-bass-homlessness-e1787698008539.jpg?1787683632&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[11561,48133,8180,5894,8313],"class_list":["post-2649567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-homelessness","tag-karen-bass","tag-meetings","tag-politics","tag-reelection"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/karen-bass-homlessness-e1787698008539.jpg?1787683632&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2649567"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2649579,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2649567\/revisions\/2649579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2649568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2649567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2649567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2649567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}