Bass preaches unity in Los Angeles ahead of 2028

Mayor Karen Bass, delivering the first of two State of the City addresses deliberate this 12 months, urged Angelenos on Monday to come together ahead of the 2028 Olympics while saying a push to clean up Los Angeles’ busiest streets in the run-up to the Games.

The mayor spoke at the Expo Center in Exposition Park in entrance of a whole lot of metropolis employees and politicos. A second tackle is deliberate for April.

After both the UCLA and USC marching bands performed to welcome the mayor, she fittingly homed in on a theme of unity as the area prepares to host the World Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Super Bowl, among other occasions. She also said Angelenos needed to unite in the face of immigration raids, the homelessness disaster and the fires that burned in the town last 12 months.

“Even in this difficult chapter in our history, great events — moments of unity — are possible. And they are coming,” Bass said.

“As we prepare for … the greatest Olympic and Paralympic Games in history — we will continue to focus on the fundamentals, the things that shape how a city feels to the people who live here and the millions who will visit,” Bass said.

The preparation will embody a continued focus on cleansing up encampments through Bass’ signature program, Inside Safe, she said. Bass also announced a new clean streets initiative dubbed Clean Corridors, which she said would “accelerate beautification” of major thoroughfares throughout the town in advance of the Olympics.

“We will crack down on any illegal dumping, those who cut corners, avoid disposal fees, and leave a mess for workers and neighbors to deal with,” she said.

The announcement comes just months after the head of the town’s Bureau of Sanitation left her post.

During the speech, the mayor also announced 100 free watch events during the World Cup throughout the town, $14 million in rental help for Angelenos and the relaunch of the town’s House Our Vets program, which helps veterans discover secure housing.

The mayor also targeted on the Trump administration’s continued immigration raids that have led to protests in downtown Los Angeles and across the nation. She spoke about the taking pictures of Keith Porter Jr. by a federal agent in Northridge.

“Staying silent or minimizing what is happening is not an option. This administration does not care about safety. They don’t care about order. And they most certainly do not care about the law,” she said.

The mayor also spoke about the Palisades fire, saying she and Councilmember Traci Park would head to Sacramento next week to call for more investment in the rebuild of the Palisades. Already, 400 houses are under construction in the Palisades and a whole lot more are authorized and prepared to be constructed, she said.

“We are not just rebuilding — we are rebuilding smarter, faster, and safer,” she said. “Families are returning home.”

The announcement got here after a week in which President Trump criticized the town’s rebuild for going too slowly, and said he would preempt the town’s potential to issue permits for people rebuilding after the Palisades fire.

The president announced in an government order that victims of the fire utilizing federal help money might self-certify to federal authorities that they’ve complied with local health and security requirements.

The mayor determined to ship two States of the City this 12 months. Traditionally, she and other mayors have made a single speech in April before releasing the proposed annual price range for the new fiscal 12 months.

The mayor said the first of the 2 speeches would serve as a countdown to the 2026 World Cup, which is able to function eight matches at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.

Her second State of the City is probably going to focus more on the town’s price range points.

Last 12 months, the mayor and City Council had to close a $1-billion price range shortfall. During her State of the City in 2025, the mayor announced possible layoffs to metropolis employees in order to produce a balanced price range.

The metropolis finally prevented making any layoffs through other cuts and agreements with metropolis unions. But the town is probably going to face another robust price range 12 months in the upcoming fiscal 12 months.