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THE BOTTOM LINE - Mayor Karen Bass came into office promising compassion, reform, and stability. What we got instead is a fiscal disaster wrapped in excuses, a City Hall that spends recklessly, and a mayor who still insists everything is “under control.” It’s not.
The city’s budget has spun into chaos — hundreds of millions in shortfall, ballooning payrolls, and programs bleeding cash with no real oversight. And while Bass’s administration blames “economic pressures,” the truth is simpler: this is the result of careless leadership and political cowardice.
Bass chose to grow City Hall when the city could barely afford to stand on its own legs. She expanded staff, created new deputy positions, and pushed high-cost initiatives without a sustainable revenue plan. Now, she’s quietly preparing for layoffs, hiring freezes, and cuts to basic services — the same services she vowed to strengthen. The “era of accountability” she promised has turned into an era of fiscal fog.
Her marquee “Inside Safe” homelessness initiative is Exhibit A. Touted as her signature achievement, it has swallowed millions of dollars — much of it spent on hotel rooms and inflated administrative costs — while delivering few lasting results. People temporarily housed under the program are returning to the streets. Even city auditors can’t trace exactly how much is being spent or where it’s going. Inside Safe has become Inside Chaos — a money pit with no measurable success.
Meanwhile, the mayor’s office hides behind slogans and talking points. Transparency has vanished. Department heads dodge questions about costs. Budget hearings are scripted, not scrutinized. City Hall insiders describe an atmosphere of denial — where spending continues unchecked and warnings are ignored. For a mayor who ran on restoring public trust, this is a stunning reversal.
Bass’s defenders like to say she “inherited” a mess. True — but she’s made it worse. Every city leader faces challenges, but only the reckless double down on bad math and blind optimism. Bass’s refusal to confront financial reality early on has left Los Angeles on the edge of another round of painful cuts and tax hikes. The city doesn’t need more excuses; it needs discipline.
The consequences are spreading fast. City departments are bracing for freezes. Labor unions — once among Bass’s strongest allies — are furious about looming layoffs. Councilmembers who initially stood by her are beginning to distance themselves, sensing the political winds shifting. And residents, from Hollywood to Van Nuys, are asking the same question: why does Los Angeles keep spending more and getting less?
The answer is leadership — or the lack of it. Bass governs by empathy and press release, not by results. She speaks about “compassionate governance” while presiding over a government that cannot balance its books. Compassion without competence is chaos. And Los Angeles is living it.
The bigger issue isn’t just money — it’s credibility. After years of scandals, corruption, and bureaucratic waste, Angelenos were promised something different. Bass’s election was supposed to mark a turning point — a return to sanity. Instead, City Hall has slipped deeper into dysfunction. If the mayor won’t take responsibility, voters will do it for her.
The political reality is starting to take shape. Bass may face a serious challenge in 2026 if this downward slide continues. The city’s business community, neighborhood councils, and taxpayer advocates are already whispering about potential successors — leaders who can bring managerial discipline back to Los Angeles. The next election won’t be about party lines or platitudes; it will be about performance.
Bass still has a narrow window to fix this. She could order an independent audit of all homelessness spending, impose an immediate hiring freeze, and demand transparent budget reports from every department. She could stop governing by sentiment and start governing by math. But that would require something this administration has resisted from day one: accountability.
Los Angeles deserves better than slogans, secrecy, and spiraling deficits. It deserves a mayor who treats taxpayer money as a public trust, not a political tool. Bass’s well-meaning compassion has become her greatest liability — because empathy without efficiency is a recipe for failure.
City Hall doesn’t need more photo ops. It needs leadership — real leadership — grounded in truth, discipline, and results. If Karen Bass can’t deliver that, someone else will.
Because compassion may win hearts, but competence wins cities. And right now, Los Angeles is losing both.
(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.)
