The City of Los Angeles is preparing to declare a state of emergency on the epidemic levels of homeless population and is planning to use $100 million dollars to spearhead the fight that one councilman suggested is a precursor to L.A. winning a 2024 bid to host the Olympic Games.
“It’s not a skid row problem. It’s a problem that’s proliferated throughout the city,” Councilman Gilbert Cedillo told the Los Angeles Times.
Cedillo made further statements indicating that the effort is tied to the city’s attempt to win a bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. “If we want to be a great city that hosts the Olympics and shows itself off to the world,” he said, “we shouldn’t have 25,000 to 50,000 people sleeping on the streets.”
It’s worth noting that Chriss Street of Breitbart News previously reported on comments from top California demographer Joel Kotkin on bringing the Olympics to L.A.
Contrasting the current state of the city with that of the “brilliantly run” 1984 L.A. Games, Kotkin said of a potential 2024 Games, “The weakening of the private sector, and the parallel rise of almost complete power of city employee unions, are adequate causes for skepticism about the likelihood that Mayor Garcetti and the labor-dominated City Council could produce a profitable Games.”
The announcement that a “state of emergency” will be declared was made on Tuesday, with Mayor Eric Gracetti and City Council Members leading the charge. According to the Times, the announcement is in line with Gracetti’s Monday proposal to capture $13 million in tax revenues for short-term housing projects.
Details were in short supply on how the task is to be accomplished at the Tuesday press conference held at City Hall. However, Council Member Joe Huizar made a guarantee that $100 million would be squeezed out of the city budget for homeless services in the next year. The Times reported that Cedillo spokesman Fredy Ceja identified the “state of emergency” declaration as a tool for city leaders to fast-track building projects.
City Council Housing Committee Members would determine how to allocate the $100 million if approved, Ceja said, according to the report. The report further noted that since Gracetti took office in 2013, homelessness in L.A. is up 12%.
A report released five months ago showed that L.A. already spends $100 million annually on the issue of homelessness, according to the Times. Multiple city agencies were noted as absorbing these costs, including primarily the LAPD, but also “those that oversee parks, libraries, street maintenance and paramedic services.”
Multiple notations were made that details on both Gracetti’s proposal and the new “state of emergency” proposal were in very short supply, both on the procurement of funds and how they would be used.
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.