Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia said this week that he's identified more than $500 million budgeted for homelessness programs that wasn't spent during the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
"That's why we're here, as the city controller, is to provide transparency and accountability on tax dollars, and I think that's what people want, especially with the passing of Measure A and in solving homelessness is: Where is the money going?," Mejia said.
He said the city budgeted $1.3 billion for homelessness services and spent or committed nearly $800 million, including on programs like Mayor Karen Bass' Inside Safe program's emergency shelter effort.
Other city officials said much of the money is restricted to use in homelessness programs, so it will roll over to this year's needs, adding they were confident the City Council would reinvest any discretionary funding.
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Mayor Bass' office said in a statement the controller has previously said too much was being spent.
"Mayor Bass has been executing a prudent and comprehensive strategy that brought down homelessness overall for the first time in years and reduced street homelessness by 10%. Even before taking office, she warned that the city’s antiquated systems would get in the way, but while others ponder reports about the decades-long problems, she has been leading the charge to fix the issues head on," wrote Bass' spokesperson Zachary Seidl.
Mejia said many city departments and agencies remain understaffed, which means some services and programs can't be delivered, adding that tracking the money has been difficult.
"You know, we're we're always encouraged if, homelessness goes down, and we know that if we put our money and we spend it more, it could have tangible, good results," Mejia said.
"We're hoping that homelessness is still at 45,000, which is still record level, but this just goes to show that we we need to keep spending, and half a billion is a lot of money."
