City Council directs 30‑day report to centralize homelessness oversight after county withdraws Measure A funding

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles City Council voted to require a report on centralizing the city’s homelessness spending and oversight after the County of Los Angeles moved Measure A funds away from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).

The council approved item 7, as amended, by a 15‑aye vote to direct city staff to return with a plan and data on consolidating homelessness functions, including details on expenditures, administrative costs and implementation timelines. Councilmember Tracy Park’s amendment shortened the deadline for those reports to 30 days and was accepted as friendly.

Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez Rodriguez, who led the floor remarks on the motion, framed the vote as a response to “federal interest peak on examining how homeless dollars are being expended” and argued the city needs a centralized approach after what she described as “a decentralized response to homelessness that has, frankly, in my opinion, really created a greater problem.” She said the report should enable audits and tighter accounting of outcomes.

Several councilmembers who spoke described a long history of fractured oversight and financial controls at LAHSA. Councilmember Bob Blumenfield said LAHSA “has fallen short,” citing audits and past criticisms, and warned that as the county reorganizes and withdraws funding, the city must decide how to manage its share of services and contracts.

Councilmember Heather Hurdado (representing Skid Row) said any transition must be “seamless,” noting the high density of people experiencing homelessness in her district and the risk that gaps in services could be “a matter of life or death.” Councilmember Park called the moment an “historic opportunity” to “take back control of the spending and the accountability for how we are providing homeless services.”

Councilmember Nithya Raman — identified by Rodriguez as the motion sponsor — had introduced an amendment (7A) to provide additional detail on resources and administrative costs tied to homelessness programs. The council accepted 7A alongside Park’s 30‑day return amendment.

City Attorney and longtime observers in the chamber noted the matter raises legal and operational questions about joint powers arrangements. Former councilmembers and staff in the discussion pointed out that LAHSA was created decades ago after litigation and that, while the authority will continue to exist legally, its funding and operations are changing as the county withdraws Measure A resources.

What the council approved is a direction to staff, not a complete transfer of responsibilities. The motion asks city departments and the City Administrative Officer (CLA) to produce detailed accounting, performance metrics linking dollars to outcomes, and options for centralizing contracting or program administration in city departments or a new structure. The motion language and amendments require those items to be returned to the council within 30 days.

The vote count recorded on the Council floor was 15 ayes; no no votes or abstentions were recorded on the motion as amended. The council also approved related procedural amendments that instructed staff to identify immediate steps to avoid disruption of services during any transition.

Next steps: staff from the CLA, the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) and other agencies will prepare the requested report and recommendations for council consideration within the 30‑day timeline. The motion and amendments do not themselves reorganize service delivery or reallocate funding; any structural changes would require separate council action.

Provenance: The motion discussion and vote are recorded in the council transcript beginning with Councilmember Rodriguez’s remarks introducing the motion and continuing through the roll call and final tally. The first on‑record discussion begins at the council transcript block beginning at approximately 4472.365 seconds into the file; the final roll call on the motion is recorded at approximately 5813.945 seconds.