It’s been nearly two years since Karen Bass was sworn in as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles.

As her first act in office in 2022, Bass declared a state of emergency on homelessness, and 21,000 Angelenos were moved off the street in her first year.

On this week’s “In Focus SoCal,” host Tanya McRae sits down with Mayor Bass to discuss her office’s achievements during the past two years and to look ahead at what’s next. 

Bass co-chairs the National Task Force on Homelessness for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. She and other legislators advocated for a policy change to help more veterans become eligible for housing and to increase their housing options.

“Do you know that if a veteran was unhoused and took benefits, we counted those benefits as income and then told the veteran, ‘Well, you make too much money so we can’t give you this voucher,’” she said. 

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced in August a federal notice establishing policy changes that stated that veterans experiencing homelessness should not be disqualified from supportive housing based on their disability status. 

Bass also discussed her nomination of Jim McDonnell to serve as the next chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. She said with big events such as the World Cup and Olympics coming to Los Angeles in the next few years, a leader who has experience at different levels is critical. 

“You have somebody who has international, national and local experience. That’s the type of leader we need,” Bass said. “We need someone who can transform the department internally and prepare the department and prepare us to make sure that these games will be safe.”

Send us your thoughts to InFocusSoCal@charter.com and watch at 11 a.m. on Saturdays and 9 a.m. on Sundays.