Karen Bass declares homelessness as ‘state of emergency’ on first day as LA mayor

Declaration comes as Bass, first female mayor of Los Angeles, was sworn in by Kamala Harris and feted by Stevie Wonder

Karen Bass, the new mayor of Los Angeles, began her first day in office by declaring a state of emergency to grapple with the city's homelessness crisis, bidding to move swiftly to help thousands of unhoused people off the streets.

Bass called the declaration a sea change in how the city tackles homelessness", making good on a campaign pledge to call the emergency the day she took power. The issue dominated her mayoral race against the billionaire developer Rick Caruso and the crisis has continued to worsen despite vast public spending increases.