Karen Bass absent from homelessness meetings despite central reelection topic

Karen Bass skips out on multiple LAHSA meetings despite homelessness being central to reelection campaign

Published August 25, 2026 6:49pm ET Updated August 25, 2026 7:00pm ET

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) has made homelessness one of the defining issues of her administration and a central focus of her reelection campaign. But it’s her abysmal attendance record on the commission overseeing the region’s homelessness response that is raising questions.

Bass appointed herself to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority governing commission in late 2023, but according to an LAist analysis of public records, she has missed 25 of 47 commission meetings since joining. That includes 13 of 21 meetings since mid-August 2025. Her failure to show up could trigger provisions in LAHSA’s bylaws allowing commissioners to be removed for excessive absenteeism. Bass’s three-year term on the commission ended June 30.