Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) has made homelessness one of the defining issues of her administration and a central focus of her reelection campaign. But it’s her abysmal attendance record on the commission overseeing the region’s homelessness response that is raising questions.Bass appointed herself to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority governing commission in late 2023, but according to an LAist analysis 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’s bylaws allowing commissioners to be removed for excessive absenteeism.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.
Rows of tents on the sidewalk in downtown Los Angeles, June 2, 2026. (Barnini Chakraborty/Washington Examiner)
The mayor’s office says Bass has remained up to date on LAHSA’s 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.But LAHSA Commissioner Justin Szlasa told LAist that commissioners need to attend meetings to participate in the agency’s deliberative process.Nick Smith, a national political strategist with Polaris, dismissed the criticism as an effort by Bass’s runoff opponent, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nithya Raman, to find an issue that could stick against the incumbent.“Council Member Raman is grasping for anything that will stick against incumbent Mayor Bass, and I don’t think attendance at a commission is it,” Smith told the Washington Examiner.He argued that Bass’s record on homelessness should be measured by results, not her attendance at LAHSA meetings.“That is a far more meaningful measure of whether the mayor is engaged on homelessness than how many LAHSA commission meetings she attended,” Smith said.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%.Karen Bass arrives at the African American Film Critics Association’s 8th annual TV Honors awards on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, at the City Club LA in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
