Los Angeles Council President to restructure homelessness committee

Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson plans to restructure the city’s Housing and Homelessness Committee by splitting it into two separate entities. Under this proposal, Nithya Raman, who has chaired the combined committee since 2023, will not lead either the new housing or homelessness committees.

The move comes amid the Los Angeles mayoral race, as Raman is a candidate challenging incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. Harris-Dawson is a close ally of Bass. Former Councilmember Zev Yaroslavsky suggested the timing of the restructuring appears politically motivated.

Raman defended her tenure, noting that her district saw a nearly 50% reduction in street homelessness in one year and that she oversaw the passage of significant renter protections. However, citywide data from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority showed a 3.4% increase in homelessness this year, reaching an estimated 45,194 people, following two years of declines.