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VENICE, CA - Karen Bass continues to claim progress on homelessness. She points to declining numbers in the annual homeless count and calls it “lasting change.”
But in Venice, reality tells a very different story.
Encampments are back not quietly, but visibly, and in the very places where the Mayor once stood and promised they would never return.
At the corner of Rose Avenue and Hampton Drive, Karen Bass personally assured residents three years ago that the encampment there would not be re-populated. Today, it has returned a stark and undeniable example of a promise broken and a policy failing in real time.
This is no longer a temporary setback. It is a visible failure of policy playing out in real time — in full view of residents, businesses, and visitors alike.
Under current leadership, Los Angeles is managing homelessness not solving it.
Programs like Inside Safe move individuals from sidewalks into hotel rooms at significant taxpayer expense, only to see many cycle back onto the streets. After billions in spending, residents are still living with the same or worsening conditions. Los Angeles is now spending more per capita on homelessness than most major cities in the country, yet visible street conditions remain largely unchanged.
This is not a pathway out of homelessness. It is a revolving door. That outcome is not accidental it is the direct result of policy choices that prioritize temporary placement over permanent solutions.
Meanwhile, the root causes remain largely unaddressed.
Mental illness continues untreated.
Substance abuse continues unchecked.
Criminal activity within encampments persists.
Yet City Hall remains committed to a “housing first” approach that avoids requiring treatment, sobriety, or accountability as part of the solution.
That is not compassion. It is a failure to act.
Venice is also experiencing the consequences of inconsistent enforcement. Officers are constrained, enforcement varies, and the message on the street is clear: rules are no longer applied consistently.
When laws are not enforced, disorder fills the vacuum.
Even well-intentioned efforts can contribute to the problem. The steady flow of uncoordinated services and handouts, while compassionate in intent, can create incentives that keep people on the streets rather than helping them transition off. As encampments are cleared, others quickly take their place, often in nearby blocks or neighboring communities.
Residents are left asking a fundamental question:
If billions have been spent, why does it feel like so little has changed?
Because fundamentally, it hasn’t.
State-level efforts like CARE Courts were intended to provide a more assertive response to mental illness. But they remain too limited in scope and too slow to meet the scale of the crisis unfolding across Los Angeles.
Venice has become a case study in what happens when policy prioritizes short-term optics over long-term outcomes when announcements replace accountability and temporary relief is mistaken for lasting progress.
Karen Bass promised “lasting change.”
What Venice received was temporary relief followed by a predictable return to disorder.
This is no longer about intent. Los Angeles has committed significant resources. The issue is leadership and the unwillingness to confront difficult realities.
Until the City enforces the law consistently, requires treatment where necessary, and restores accountability, this crisis will not be resolved.
It will continue to repeat itself block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood.
Residents are no longer asking for promises they are demanding results.
Venice is not an exception.
It is the reality.
(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.)
