The bizarre response to a draft of a court-ordered report released Thursday by global consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal that analyzed four years of homeless services managed by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) found staggering levels of mismanagement and unaccounted for taxpayer monies. The audit claims that information gaps and incomplete data stymied investigators from accessing the results of approximately $2.4 billion in homeless spending over that time period , a staggering sum. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter mandated the audit as part of a 2020 lawsuit filed by the L.A. Alliance for Human Rights, a coalition of local business owners and residents who accused the city of failing to address homelessness, and as a result put public health and safety at risk. Mayor Karen Bass has made homelessness a centerpiece of her administration, but did not immediately address concerns about the spending raised by the audit. Last week she posted photos of workers from her Inside Safe program on social media.
Dozens of unhoused Angelenos living in a large encampment in South LA were moved inside this week. So far this year, Inside Safe has brought more than 200 Angelenos indoors and is providing the supportive services they need to end the cycle of homelessness. pic.twitter.com/Ne7k1XhoeN
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) March 7, 2025
Mejia has posted a tracker of homeless spending on his website.
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A post shared by LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia (@lacontroller)…