Los Angeles Mayor summoned to testify over $1B homelessness fund probe

The U.S. House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency has summoned Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to testify in Washington, D.C., regarding an investigation into the alleged misuse of federal homelessness funds.

Led by Representative Tim Burchett, the subcommittee is investigating claims of “waste, fraud and abuse” involving more than $1 billion in federal grants distributed through the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) since 2021. The probe focuses on whether these funds, intended to address homelessness, were misallocated to nonprofits for purposes other than their intended use, including allegations of “corrupt contracting and grant-making” and self-enrichment.

Mayor Bass has been requested to provide documents from January 1, 2020, to the present, covering LAHSA’s internal controls and communications between the mayor’s office and the authority. The public hearing, titled “Fixing Fraud and Failure in Federally Funded Homelessness Services,” is scheduled for September 15 at the Rayburn House Office Building.