Mayor’s Briefs: Bass’s Directive to Upgrade City Services, Measure ULA News and METRO to Address Homelessness

Mayor’s Executive Directive to Upgrade City Services

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Karen Bass Oct. 30 signed her fifth executive directive to improve the customer experience of Angelenos requesting city services by decreasing wait times, enhancing the quality of the service and better communicating the result of service requests. The executive directive continues the Mayor’s efforts to improve basic city services to make Los Angeles more livable for all..

Mayor Bass said this executive directive launches the development of a customer service strategy to improve the delivery of basic city services that Angelenos expect and deserve.

As a result, city service operations like graffiti removal, pothole repair, and bulky item pick up will be completed faster, executed better and the result of the operation will be communicated in a more transparent way.

As instructed by Mayor Bass, a customer service steering committee will be established to oversee the modernization of the MyLA311 system – the city’s existing request platform for services on private property and in the public right-of-way. 

Angelenos who want to request any range of 68 different no-cost city services including graffiti removal and pothole repair can:

• Call 3-1-1 from a phone in Los Angeles;
• Download the MyLA311 Mobile app; or
• Submit a request at MyLA311.LACity.org

Measure ULA Lawsuit Dismissed

LOS ANGELES — Mayor Karen Bass, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto and the Los Angeles Housing Department or LAHD Oct. 27 applauded the decision dismissing the Measure ULA lawsuit initiated by property owners and anti-tax groups seeking to invalidate the measure which is being used in efforts to prevent homelessness and fund additional affordable housing in Los Angeles. 

In August, the city council approved the FY23/24 Measure ULA Expenditure Plan, which includes:

• $18,400,000 for a short-term emergency assistance program that will allow eligible low-income tenant households to apply for up to six months owed back rent due to a one time economic hardship.  On Oct. 31 council is expected to approve an additional $12,000,000 for this program, to be shifted from the rental assistance for low income seniors program. The emergency rental assistance prioritizes lower income households, seniors and those with disabilities.
• $23,000,000 for the eviction defense/prevention program, to continue and expand the Stay Housed LA or SHLA program, a partnership with the county, legal service providers and community organizations, that provides tenant households at risk of eviction, with legal support, “know your rights” education, and in limited cases, rental assistance through settlements with their landlords or housing provider.
• $5,520,000 for a tenant outreach and education program and campaign to provide broad and targeted tenant education outreach services, including workshops, legal clinics, paid and earned media and targeted social media.
• $11,219,694 for the protections from tenant harassment program. Funds will be allocated for infrastructure, technology, and community outreach, to educate tenants, as well as landlords and housing providers, about their rights and obligations, and to enforce protections against tenant harassment. The City adopted the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance or TAHO to protect tenants from harassment by landlords and housing providers.
• $56,860,306 for development of multifamily affordable housing to increase affordable housing units in the city with an initiative called “Accelerator Plus.” The program will fund “shovel-ready” affordable housing projects that are ready to quickly start or complete construction.

Metro Passes Motion Supporting Comprehensive Approach to Homelessness 

LOS ANGELES — The L.A. Metro board of directors approved Mayor Bass’ motion Oct 26 to take a comprehensive, coordinated approach to addressing homelessness on the public transportation system. 

The motion directs Metro to develop a comprehensive social resources and homelessness action plan to address homelessness within the Metro transit system and to work with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and service providers to improve coordination and interventions and ensure access to resources. 

These instructions build on Metro’s continued efforts since 2017 to address the rise in the number of people experiencing homelessness on the system by making some of its land available for housing and solutions to RV encampments, increasing outreach team presence on the system, and participating in LAHSA’s Point-In-Time Count for the first time in 2023. The motion was co-authored by Vice Chair and County Supervisor Janice Hahn, Director and County Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath, Director and County Supervisor Hilda Solis, and Director Jacquelyn Dupont-Walker.