THE BOTTOM LINE - Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has a scheduling problem. Congress wants her to answer questions about Los Angeles’ troubled homelessness system. Bass says she cannot appear.
But this isn’t just another invitation the mayor can decline. It is a question of accountability.
The House Oversight Committee’s Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency has requested that Bass testify September 15 as part of an investigation into potential waste, fraud and abuse involving federal homelessness funding administered through the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
The allegations are serious. So are the stakes.
HUD suspended LAHSA from receiving federal funds in June while its inspector general investigates the agency, citing concerns involving financial management, internal controls, and safeguards against conflicts of interest. LAHSA has disputed aspects of the federal government’s characterization and says significant reforms are underway.
That disagreement is precisely why public testimony matters.
Bass’ attorneys have argued that LAHSA has its own executive leadership and that the mayor does not control its day-to-day operations, budget, or administration.
That may be technically true. But it does not erase political responsibility.
LAHSA is governed by a 10-member commission split between city and county representatives. Bass appoints city commissioners subject to City Council confirmation. Stephanie Graves, appointed by Bass, currently chairs the commission.
And Bass herself sits on it.
The mayor may not approve individual invoices, negotiate contracts, or supervise LAHSA employees. But portraying City Hall as merely an interested observer strains credibility.
Bass has influence. She has appointments. She has a seat at the table. And as mayor, she has a responsibility to explain what her administration knew, what it did and what it intends to change.
Instead, Los Angeles is left with lawyers explaining jurisdiction while taxpayers are asking a much simpler question:
Who is accountable?
That question is particularly important because the homelessness numbers have moved in the wrong direction.
According to LAHSA’s 2026 count, the estimated homeless population in the City of Los Angeles increased 3.4%, to 45,194 people. LAHSA says the increase was not statistically significant and attributes the setback largely to a bottleneck involving time-limited housing subsidies.
Whatever explanation one accepts, more than 45,000 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles underscores the enormous challenge still confronting the city.
Bass has made homelessness a centerpiece of her mayoralty. Inside Safe became her signature initiative, promising to move people from encampments into interim housing and ultimately into permanent homes.
That means the mayor can claim credit when the strategy succeeds. It also means she should answer difficult questions when results fall short.
Accountability cannot operate in only one direction.
The same standard should apply to Bass’ challenger, Councilmember Nithya Raman. Raman chaired the City Council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee for years and has played a significant role in shaping Los Angeles homelessness policy.
Neither candidate should be able to campaign as though the homelessness system belongs exclusively to somebody else.
Los Angeles has spent years constructing an enormously complicated network of city departments, county agencies, LAHSA administrators, contractors, and nonprofit service providers. When results disappoint, that complexity risks becoming the perfect political shield.
Everyone is responsible for a piece of the system. Somehow, nobody seems responsible for the whole thing.
That is precisely the culture Los Angeles needs to break.
The federal investigation may ultimately substantiate some allegations, reject others, or uncover problems that have not yet become public. LAHSA deserves an opportunity to answer the accusations against it, and Congress should conduct its investigation based on evidence rather than political theater.
But Bass should answer questions, too.
She is not a distant spectator to Los Angeles’ homelessness crisis. She is the mayor, a member of the LAHSA Commission and the elected executive who made homelessness one of the defining priorities of her administration.
Leadership means answering difficult questions. It means defending decisions when results are challenged. And it means explaining what will change when institutions entrusted with enormous sums of taxpayer money face serious questions about whether those dollars were properly managed.
Harry Truman famously kept a sign on his desk declaring: “The buck stops here.”
Los Angeles too often appears to operate under the opposite principle. The buck passes from City Hall to LAHSA, from LAHSA to the county, from the county to service providers and eventually back to taxpayers.
Bass has an opportunity to reject that culture.
Appear before Congress. Answer the questions. Defend the record. Explain what worked, what failed and what Los Angeles will do differently.
She may not control every decision LAHSA makes.
But the distinction between day to day control and political responsibility should not become an escape hatch from public accountability.
Karen Bass can skip a congressional hearing. She cannot skip accountability.
(Mihran Kalaydjian is a seasoned public affairs and government relations professional with more than twenty years of experience in legislative affairs, public policy, community relations, and strategic communications. A respected civic leader and education advocate, he has spearheaded numerous academic and community initiatives, shaping dialogue and driving reform in local and regional political forums. His career reflects a steadfast commitment to transparency, accountability, and public service across Los Angeles and beyond.)
