Socialist LA mayor's bold homelessness promise ahead of 2028 Olympics hit with reality check: 'Not optimistic'
Incoming Los Angeles Mayor Nithya Raman has promised to cut the number of people sleeping in tents and homeless encampments by at least 50% before the 2028 Summer Olympics, but one local activist believes her vision may not be realistic.
Key points
- SEATTLE MAYOR KATIE WILSON'S SOCIALIST AGENDA STALLS AMID HOMELESSNESS AND PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS Other parts of Raman’s proposal include sending unarmed crisis response teams rather than police officers to certain emergencies, auditing stalled housing projects and increasing oversight of homelessness spending.
- Raman has previously called the city's "desensitization to homelessness" a "moral failing." Her plan calls for sending medical teams directly into encampments to provide mental health and addiction treatment and help with transitions into long-term housing or care within 90 days.
- Alle, who manages roughly 1 million square feet of commercial property across Los Angeles, said he sees the homelessness crisis firsthand and raised concerns about its impact on local businesses and workers.
The morale of the police, which we need, is down." Alle warned that Raman’s plan will be a temporary solution that will have homeless people moved off the streets ahead of the Olympics and returning once the Games are over.
Additional details
- FURIOUS RESIDENTS CONFRONT HOMELESS HOUSING LEADERS AS POPULAR BEACH COMMUNITY HITS BREAKING POINT Raman chaired the City Council's Housing and Homelessness Committee from 2023 until her removal this year amid her mayoral campaign.
- "When the Olympics come, they'll be picked up, they'll be bused, they’ll be sent elsewhere, and they'll wander right back after the three-week Olympic and Paralympic events." Former Mayor Karen Bass accepted the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony in Paris two years ago, marking the handoff of hosting duties.
- According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s 2026 annual count, homelessness rose 3.4% in LA and 1.2% across the broader LA area, undoing two consecutive years of declines under Bass.
- Alle said there must be more transparency over how the city has handled more than $1 billion in homelessness funding before allocating more taxpayer dollars.
- Despite Raman’s ambitious vision, Alle said he isn't convinced her plan will bring meaningful change and argued that city leadership has gone "from bad to worse." "It's not that much different than Mayor Karen Bass's plan," Alle said.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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