Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and challenger Nithya Raman clashed in a contentious mayoral debate hosted by NBCLA and Telemundo 52 Tuesday night, discussing a number of topics, including homelessness and public safety.
As the candidates touted their records and criticized their opponent’s, here are fact checks of some of their key claims and statements.
“We have reduced homelessness by 11%”
Bass claimed that Los Angeles has reduced homelessness by 11% since 2023 during the debate and in a July press release, without clearly identifying the data behind the figure.
Data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) show a smaller decline in the city’s overall homeless population over that period. LAHSA counted 46,260 people experiencing homelessness in the city in 2023, compared with 45,194 in 2026 — a 2.3% decrease.
Critics, however, have long questioned LAHSA’s point-in-time homeless count. A RAND study found the agency likely undercounted homeless residents in parts of Skid Row, raising concerns about whether the annual count fully captures the size of the unhoused population.
Bass’ 11% claim requires further clarification about the population, time frame and data used to calculate the reduction.
“We’ve seen a reduction in homelessness, nearly 50%“
Raman cited a nearly 50% decline in unsheltered homelessness in her City Council District 4, which includes parts of Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Hollywood Hills, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Studio City, Van Nuys and Reseda.
According to LAHSA’s annual count, the number of unsheltered people in CD 4 fell from 181 in 2025 to 93 in 2026, a decline of approximately 49%.
The decrease contrasts with the citywide trend: Los Angeles’ overall homeless population rose 3.4% in 2026, while unsheltered homelessness increased 7.9%.
However, comparisons between districts require consistent figures for the same years and categories. For example, Council District 1, which includes the Westlake neighborhood and MacArthur Park, had nearly eight times as many unsheltered residents as Raman’s Council District 4 in 2025, with 777 people in CD1 in 2025 and 989 in 2026.
“We have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into an incredibly expensive program, Inside Safe”
Bass’ signature Inside Safe program, launched in December 2022, has cost more than $300 million, according to the Los Angeles Times.
For fiscal year 2025–26 alone, the city projected $131.9 million in Inside Safe expenditures.
An NBCLA investigation published in December 2023 also found that the city had spent $67 million during the program’s first year and placed 255 people into permanent housing. That works out to roughly $263,000 per person permanently housed, though city officials argue the program’s purpose includes outreach, interim housing, services, and encampment resolution, not just permanent placement.
“The LAPD has been reportedly sharing data with ICE”
Raman’s statement, made amid her criticism of the LAPD’s handling of protests against federal immigration enforcement, suggests the police department played an active role in sharing information about undocumented people in Los Angeles.
California law generally restricts law enforcement agencies from sharing automated license plate reader data with federal agencies for immigration enforcement. But concerns have emerged over whether private companies that operate the cameras, including Flock Safety, have allowed federal authorities to access the data.
The ACLU has accused Flock, a surveillance company that provides automated license plate readers, of allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies to access sensitive data.
Bass said she supported LAPD’s decision not to renew its contract with Flock, citing concerns about the company’s data-sharing practices.
“Flock has been completely uncooperative and refuses to curtail who they share their data with,” Bass said.
“We’ve expedited to eliminate the red tape” in Pacific Palisades
Bass issued executive orders intended to speed rebuilding after the January 2025 Palisades Fire, relaxing or waiving certain procedural and approval requirements for eligible projects.
However, rebuilding has remained slow. According to the Palisadian-Post’s rebuild tracker, as of Oct. 8, 2026, 50 homes had been completed and received certificates of occupancy.
The tracker also recorded 1,862 building permit applications submitted, 1,317 permits issued and construction underway on 1,126 primary structures.
These figures show that permitting and construction are progressing, but they also highlight the gap between approvals and completed homes.