Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who took office in 2023 after 18 years in state and federal elected roles, stated her first-term goal was to end homelessness and later noted unanticipated bureaucratic obstacles. The 2025 city count required by the U.S. government recorded 43,695 people experiencing homelessness, including 26,972 living on the streets. Analyses from progressive, conservative, libertarian, and critical viewpoints differ on the causes and implications of limited progress.