L.A. homeless population drops again. And yes, there’s reason for hope

For nearly two decades, an official count confirmed what all of us could see: more and more people living on sidewalks, streets and other marginal spaces all over Los Angeles County.

So it felt like only good news this week when the county’s homeless agency announced a 4% decline in the homeless population and a 10% decline in those living in the street.

To go a bit deeper than the numbers, I got hold of my colleague, Doug Smith. A deep thinker who’s covered every big story in L.A., Doug has become The Times’ foremost expert on homelessness. Here’s what the essential Doug Smith had to say:

What did you make of the latest figures?

I expected it. I drive around a lot, as does [City Hall reporter] Dave Zahniser. We both have seen the difference made by [the city’s] Inside Safe and [the county’s] Pathway Home programs. Many of the largest encampments have been eliminated.

Should we be hopeful that L.A. is finally tackling this problem?

The [city and county] programs are very expensive and are barely two years old. The big question is how much more they will be able to expand, or even maintain the number of hotel and motel beds they now have.

Mayor Bass gets credit, along with many others

Does Mayor Karen Bass, or any other individual or group, deserve credit for this decline?

She does, but she’s not the only one. One of the most important initiatives is Housing for Health, a program created by L.A. County Department of Health Services when Mitch Katz was running it. It targets frequent users of the public health system.

Judge Carter has forced the county to create 3,000 new mental health beds (still in the works). [California Community Foundation Chief Executive] Miguel Santana is now on the newly-created housing board that will be Proposition HHH on steroids.

Janey Rountree at the California Policy Lab at UCLA has done more than anyone else to make usable information out of the oozing mash of data coming out of homeless services agencies and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

We are still in the long haul to solve the problem

What are a few things that will be needed to keep moving people off the street?

We are finally, mercifully, moving beyond the ideology of “Housing First” as the one and only solution. The system has improved, but is still stuck in the binary thinking of interim vs. permanent housing. When you visit encampments, you quickly identify people for whom neither of those is the right first step. Some need detox and drug treatment, some long-term mental health treatment and some jail. The first two are woefully scarce, so they tend to all end up in jail.

There are several valiant private enterprises out there trying to figure out a conventional financing model to build affordable housing. I hope they figure it out.

Is there anything the average Angeleno can do?

They can pat themselves on the back already for doubling the sales tax. Even if the recent trend continues, it’s going to be a long way to “Problem solved!” Try to be equally empathetic with the people living on the street and the people whose houses and businesses they live in front of.

Finally, don’t be too harsh in judging those in positions of responsibility who have made only incremental progress. Yes, they’re imperfect. But all they have is local levers to budge a problem that has macro social and economic causes.

Today’s top stories

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

The National Guard came to L.A. to fight unrest. Troops ended up fighting boredom

• They were deployed to combat “violent, insurrectionist mobs” around Los Angeles, but in recent days the only thing many troops seemed to be fighting was tedium.
• As an indication of the military’s dwindling role in ICE operations, the U.S. Secretary of Defense recently ordered the release of 2,000 troops.
• Most people arrested in L.A. immigration raids had no criminal history, according to new data released Tuesday.

L.A. County jails are handing inmates over to ICE for the first time in years

• Despite local sanctuary policies, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has resumed transferring jail inmates to ICE for the first time in years.
• Eight inmates were released to ICE in May and a dozen more in June. Their ages ranged from 19 to 63 years old.

The Dale fire burns in Riverside County

• A brush fire ignited in mountain foothills in Riverside County on Wednesday afternoon, prompting evacuation orders in nearby rural communities, authorities said.
• As of this morning, the fire burned more than 1,000 acres and is 10% contained.

What else is going on

• Six months after the fire, has Mayor Karen Bass done enough for the Palisades?
• An Army vet calls for investigation after being detained for three days in an ICE raid
• A cash fund for L.A. families affected by ICE raids will be up and running within a month.
• L.A. County accidentally repealed its anti-incarceration ballot measure. Now what?
• Questions are swirling around the slaying of an “American Idol” executive and her rock musician husband at their Encino home.
• The largest estate in decades — 112 acres in Brentwood — went on the L.A. market for $70 million.

Commentary and opinions

• Newsom threatens Texas over power grab. He’s blowing smoke, writes columnist Mark Z. Barabak.
• She looked like a pro-worker Trump cabinet appointee. But now she’s gutting the Labor Department, writes columnist Michael Hiltzik.
• In his latest column, Gustavo Arellano writes about the forgotten godfather of Trump’s scorched earth immigration campaign.
• Even if you think Sean Combs is guilty, his conviction should give you pause, writes guest contributor Aya Gruber.

This morning’s must-reads

Lifestyle

The event of the year? A ‘diva’ bookstore cat’s 10th birthday party

Looking for a book recommendation at the country’s oldest children’s bookstore? Check in with Pippi, the 10-year-old cat who lives there.

July 16, 2025

Other must-reads

• The case of “El Chapo’s” son cooperating with U.S. prosecutors roils Mexico.
• After having a heart attack at 36, a master refinisher shares his tips on “a lost art.”
• Firefighter volunteers from Mexico crossed the border to help Texas flood victims. “This was a mission to come and help our brothers,” one said.

For your downtime

Christopher Glenn Gilstrap and Caroline Quigley in “The Seagull: Malibu” at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum.

(Ian Flanders)

Going out

• Dining: A former Smorgasburg vendor is bringing Korean-inspired burgers to USC Village. It’s just one of the recently opened and upcoming additions to the L.A. food scene.
• Theater: “The Seagull: Malibu” and the seldom-revived “Strife,” two ambitious offerings in Theatricum Botanicum’s outdoor season, are reset in the American past.
• Movies: The “Legend of Zelda” live-action movie has found its Zelda and Link.

Staying in

• Books: As Lana Del Rey sings in “Young and Beautiful,” we’re officially in “hot summer nights, mid-July” season. Here are this week’s bestselling books if you’re looking for a recommendation.
• Music: The Neighborhood Kids’ viral rage rap anthem during ICE raids turned them into Tom Morello’s “new favorite band.”
• Recipes: Here’s a recipe for Cento Raw Bar’s hamachi crudo with cherries and jalapeño broth.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

A question for you: What TV show do you think should win the Emmy for best comedy?

The 2025 Emmy nominations have been announced. The best comedy category is stacked, with fan favorites including “Abbott Elementary” and “The Bear.” Who should win?

Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.

And finally ... from our archives

A simulation of Neil Armstrong’s 150-beats-per-minute heartbeat as he touched down on the surface of the moon.

On July 17, 1969, the Apollo 11 crew continued their historic journey to the moon, which launched from NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. the day before. On July 20, two of its astronauts became the first people to step on the surface of the moon. For the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, The Times measured the mission by heartbeat.

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Jim Rainey, staff writer
Diamy Wang, homepage intern
Izzy Nunes, audience intern
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, Sunday writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters

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