Mayor Karen Bass and a delegation of six City Council members are wrapping up three days of meetings in Washington, D.C. with national leaders to advocate for additional resources for the city. This comes after Bass expressed concerns about potentially losing over $100 million in Veteran Affairs benefits for L.A.
The delegation includes Council President Paul Krekorian and council members Bob Blumenfield, Eunisses Hernandez, Heather Hutt, Traci Park, and Hugo Soto-Martinez. They are meeting with White House officials and members of California’s congressional delegation.
The meetings will conclude on Wednesday evening, and some council members will leave that night while others will depart the following morning.
Bass and the council members have been staying near the White House and will return to L.A. on economy tickets. The funds for the trip came from their respective offices.
During Tuesday’s meeting with Secretary Denis McDonough of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, he informed the city leaders that Congress wants to “claw back” money to balance the federal budget. However, Bass stated that a legislative fix could prevent the loss of funds.
It seems that progress is already being made, as the delegation had a meeting with Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, on Tuesday. They have more meetings scheduled for Wednesday with other members of the L.A. area’s congressional delegation.
“In addition, we learned that many cities have not utilized their housing vouchers,” Bass explained. “So, needless to say, I wanted to be the first in line to make sure that L.A. gets any unused vouchers that other cities don’t need.”
“… I’ll tell you why,” she added. “There isn’t any city around that is dealing with the numbers of homelessness that we’re dealing with.”
Meanwhile, Krekorian stated that it was another busy day for the council members. They had detailed conversations with McDonough and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge.
Krekorian emphasized that Los Angeles has a quarter-million veterans, with many of them experiencing homelessness. The discussions with McDonough focused on providing job opportunities, housing, and other services for veterans. When it came to HUD, the council members discussed federal funding for housing the unhoused and increasing affordability.
Krekorian reiterated the importance of the delegation being present and advocating for the city, as others will fill the void if they are not there. He stated that it is crucial to ensure that Los Angeles is treated fairly and equitably in Washington.
Soto-Martinez mentioned that Bass’ relationships with leaders in Washington, given her past as a member of the House of Representatives, have been helpful during the trip. He noted that people in meetings are already familiar with Bass and recognize her credibility.
As a result of the trip, the City Council canceled its scheduled meetings for Tuesday and Wednesday. Regular meetings will resume on Friday, according to Krekorian’s office.
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