Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is scheduled to deliver her State of the City speech Monday, outlining her priorities as the city continues its wildfire recovery efforts while navigating budget constraints and other external pressures.
Bass is expected to speak in the Council Chamber at City Hall at noon. The mayor is likely to discuss the city’s rebuilding efforts, largely focusing on Pacific Palisades, which was devastated by January’s wildfires. In addition, she will share her plans for reshaping city government as L.A. faces a nearly $1 billion deficit as a result of overspending, liability payouts, labor contracts and lower-than-anticipated tax revenues.
City officials have warned that the deficit could lead to thousands of layoffs and other consequences in the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year.
With a recent decision to move funding away from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) at both the city and county level, Bass and the City Council may also consider adjusting their approach to resolving the homelessness crisis.
The county Board of Supervisors advanced a proposal to create its own department to manage regional homeless services, effectively defunding LAHSA — a joint city-county agency criticized for inefficiency, waste and lack of transparency. LAHSA officials said the agency grew rapidly in recent years and has since taken steps to address those issues.
The new county agency is expected to be in place by Jan. 1, with all funding pulled from LAHSA and transferred to the new department by July 1, 2026.
Meanwhile, city officials have expressed a need to hire more police officers in a bid to improve public safety and prepare for global events coming to the L.A. region. In March, Bass joined Police Chief Jim McDonnell to announce that the overall crime rate in the city declined in 2024, with homicides dropping 14% and shooting victims decreasing by 19%.
Immigration is also likely to be addressed as the Trump administration continues its crackdown on “sanctuary cities” and threatens to pull related funding.
Bass may also touch on other federal policies and their potential impact on the city’s economy, travel and tourism industries.