good morning. Welcome to the City Hall newsletter, LA on the Record. Dakota Smith will be piloting the ship this week, with support from David Zarnizer and Julia Wick.

The Mayor’s Fund of Los Angeles, a nonprofit with close ties to City Hall, is moving away from a broader approach under the last mayoral administration to focus solely on preventing homelessness.

Mayor Karen Bass At Thursday’s event, which briefly touched on the nonprofit’s new homelessness efforts, local leaders announced that the number of homeless people in Los Angeles had increased 10% year-over-year.

Mr. Bass said in a subsequent interview that the mayor’s fund would be used to help tenants, among other things. For example, few people know about the rental protection recently passed by the city council, she says.

“That’s why we need grassroots groups that talk to people,” said Bass, who is an adviser to the nonprofit.

Eliminating homelessness is a top priority for Bass. She declared a citywide homelessness emergency the same day she took office in December, launched a program to bring homeless people indoors, and partnered with county officials in coordinating social services.

under the mayor Eric Garcettithe mayor’s fund launched a series of citizen-oriented programs, including international travel for young people, meals for the elderly in the early stages of COVID-19, and cybersecurity assistance for businesses.

The Mayor’s Fund serves as a receptacle for private donations and grants, and programs are implemented by external organizations and city departments. The nonprofit has occasionally been criticized by critics as a way for large donors to try to impress Garcetti by throwing money at causes he supports.

Conway CollisHe said the mayor’s fund had “refocused” on “urgent measures to prevent people from becoming homeless,” he said, who joined the mayor’s fund a few months ago as its chief executive.

The company’s homeless assistance program, called “We are LA,” connects people to food, medical assistance, legal services, tenant assistance, and more.

Collis said the nonprofit will contract with Black Women for Health, the Californian Alliance for Community Empowerment (ACCE), and the Humanitarian Immigrant Rights Coalition (CHIRLA), among others. It says. The nonprofit also funds a medical center through a partnership with the St. John’s Well Child and Family Center.

The nonprofit plans to spend about $4.5 million over the next few months and will continue to raise funds, he said. While the focus may eventually broaden, homelessness will be an issue in the short term, he said.

“The mayor’s focus and priority is on the homeless problem in Los Angeles,” Collis said. “You can’t address the homelessness problem without preventing people from becoming homeless.”

state of play

— Blowout of CD6: Imelda Padilla On Friday, he declared victory in the Central and Northeastern San Fernando Valley City Council District 6 election.After Friday’s updated poll count, Padilla took the lead with almost 56% of the vote compared to rivals Marisa Alcarazis 44%.padilla too stopped by On Friday, he told the Los Angeles City Council, “Go to the East Valley.”

— Setting a record: council chairman Paul Krekorian introduced a motion It decided on Friday to make Padilla a voting member of the council, even before the final results were certified. This brings seven women to the 15-member city council, a new record for a city hall.

– End of the road: A federal judge in Los Angeles on Friday upheld the conviction of the longtime politician. Mark Ridley Thomas. His lawyers hoped he would be acquitted of corruption charges or be granted a new trial. He is expected to be sentenced later this summer.

— Outrage at Homeless Count: ‘It’s clear that what we’ve been doing so far hasn’t worked’ Tracy Park The Times’s Doug Smith and Ruben Vives said the city’s homeless population has risen 80% since the 2015 tally, after the latest stats showed a 10% increase in homelessness in Los Angeles.

— Prices within the district: board member Current price He has kept a low profile since being charged with perjury, embezzlement and conflict of interest two weeks ago. But our colleague Britney Mejia reportedly met quietly Wednesday with a group of his family displaced by the Los Angeles Police Department’s failed 2021 fireworks explosion.

About 40 residents attended, and Mr. Price was present along with representatives from several city departments. Mr. Price, who had previously declared his innocence, briefly spoke about his own case, telling the group that he was looking forward to a day in court to address the issue. The displaced group holds weekly meetings hosted by local community organizations, but this is the first time Price has been to the meeting in person.

— State Legislature Investigates DWP Scandal: A California court investigator said this week that a “public lawsuit” is planned in the coming months against lawyers involved in a lawsuit over the Department of Water and Power’s flawed billing system that began in 2013. made it

— Challenging homeless housing: An imminent hotel workers’ strike would disrupt operations at the LA Grand, a downtown hotel pivotal to the mayor’s Inside Safe initiative. The idea of ​​introducing temporary workers, which some hotels may be considering, would have more political implications at the LA Grand, given the city’s close ties to organized workers.

— Horseshoe Alumni: former lawmaker Joe Buscaino and Mitch O’Farrell and councilors Tracy Park Co-sponsored fundraiser for lawmakers John LeeRe-election campaign Thursday in downtown Los Angeles

— Choose a watchdog: controller Kenneth Mejia nominated Resida Neighborhood Association Committee Jamie York to the city’s ethics committee. Yorke still needs confirmation, but he has been a vocal advocate of government reform.

— Condemned email: The Los Angeles Police Department has denounced an email written by a police officer who promised that a planned homeless camp cleanup in the western San Fernando Valley would include mass arrests of the homeless. The department said the widely criticized e-mail, also referred to as the “Hush Hush Task Force”, does not represent LAPD policy or practices.

Celebrate Tom Bradley

City officials and political leaders past and present in Los Angeles gathered at City Hall on Wednesday to celebrate the former mayor’s 50th anniversary. Tom Bradley After taking office, they talked about the city’s first black mayor, who was elected in 1973 and served for 20 years.

The mayor also appeared at the event held at the observatory Karen BassBradley’s daughters— Lorraine and Phyllis — and former press secretary Bradley Bill Chandlerdescribed the mayor, who served five terms, as a “deep listener” who can listen intently to what was not said on the spot but should be said.

“There was clarity, passion and perspective in his story,” Chandler said.

Witnesses at the event were former city council members who either worked for Bradley or held political office during his tenure. Richard Alarcon, Robert Farrell, Ruth Galanter, Wendy Gruell, Nate Holden, Joy Pix and Zeff Yaroslavski. Members of this group held office at various times between 1974 and 2013.

quick hit

• Where is Inside Safe? Bus’s efforts to move LA’s homeless residents indoors have been moved to the city council’s first place. heather hatneighborhoods, La Brea Street and Obama Boulevard campsites. At least 35 people were moved indoors during the operation, according to the mayor’s office.

• Record for next week:

  The city council is set to hold its final meeting before the three-week summer vacation on Wednesday, and the agenda will very likely include dozens of items to defuse the situation in the city, with the next council members reconvening. The agenda will be packed by August 1st. Also on the agenda is the Crecorian plan to make Padilla a member of the Voting Council even before all the results are tallied.