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Barger Asks L.A. County Board To Create Blue Ribbon Commission On Homelessness

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger has authored a motion to create a Blue-Ribbon Commission on Homelessness with the aim of solving the homelessness crisis.

If approved, the Blue-Ribbon Commission on Homelessness is expected to provide guidance and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on reforms to solve the homelessness crisis throughout L.A. County, according to Barger’s office.

“The creation of a Blue-Ribbon Commission is critical to finally address that homelessness is a serious crisis,” Barger said. “I have said many times that the status quo is no longer working and it’s time that we engage and collaborate with service providers, government agencies and city representatives throughout the County to come up with new strategies and solutions to bring individuals off the street and provide them with the care and services they deserve. We cannot wait another day before upending our existing systems and approaches while vulnerable residents are dying and left to languish on our streets.”

The Blue-Ribbon Commission on Homelessness, if approved, aims to bring together internal and external leaders as thought partners to help solve this issue.

See Related: Bridge To Home Seeks Financial Support To Fund Permanent Santa Clarita Homeless Shelter

The proposed makeup of the Commission would include nine members, five of which would be appointed by each Supervisor, and one each nominated by the Mayor of Los Angeles; the Los Angeles City Council President; the Contract Cities Association; and the Councils of Government.

The proposed Commission is expected to be directed to research homelessness governance reports and best practices from across the nation.

In addition, they are also to be asked to review, with County Counsel and the Chief Executive Office, the existing Joint Powers Authority that governs the County’s participation in the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, with an assessment of the articulated powers of the organization and its limitations; along with the fiscal and operational implications if the County renegotiates or withdraws from the LAHSA Joint Powers Authority altogether.

“While the County has tried valiantly through the years to develop programs to serve people experiencing homelessness, we need to hear from our partners at the local level – those representatives from the 88 cities throughout the County, along with our Councils of Governments and our contract cities partners – to vastly improve our work on homelessness,” Barger continued. “It is my ardent hope that this all-hands-on-deck approach will provide the depth of thought and critical feedback necessary to find solutions. In addition, this effort is intended to improve accountability, transparency and inclusivity for all involved.”

The Commission would develop its recommendations and report based on robust presentations and feedback provided during regularly scheduled meetings with relevant County departments and agencies, key stakeholders, service providers and local leaders, according to Barger’s office.

Information presented is set to include a briefing on the existing homelessness strategies funded by Measure H and the scope of its limitations and approaches suggested by the Departments of Regional Planning, Public Works and the Los Angeles County Development Authority to increase affordable housing.

If approved, the BRCH also plans to take into consideration the effectiveness of existing mental health care and substance abuse services that are provided to people experiencing homelessness and strategies to improve these efforts.

If it is approved by the Board of Supervisors, the Blue-Ribbon Commission on Homelessness is expected to present its report to the Board within six months and then sunset.

The motion is scheduled to be heard by the Board of Supervisors at the Tuesday, July 27 board meeting and can be found here on the Board’s agenda.


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Barger Asks L.A. County Board To Create Blue Ribbon Commission On Homelessness

4 comments

  1. The only people invited to these commissions are those profiting from it through their ‘non-profit’ homeless advocacy groups. There are now dozens of them just in LA alone. It is now a billion$ industry each year. There is no interest from these people to solve the problem as it creates a problem people complain about and the solution is massive taxpayer funds divvied up amongst these groups with no improvement in the problem. People then get so frustrated they vote for more bonds which is more tax money to these groups. The cycle has to stop.

  2. July 19, 2021
    In a press conference Monday in Sonoma County Newsom said he plans to sign a $12 billion bill intended to combat rampant and growing homelessness in the state.
    He also went on to ‘invite homeless people from around the country’ to come pursue “new beginnings” in California which Newsom pledged to house and feed the world’s homeless population calling it the “California Comeback Plan”
    Obviously, Barger wants to get a head start on increasing the number of ‘non-profit’ homeless advocacy groups, as the ones we already have in place must be maxed out, you know with all the successes the current non-profits have achieved thus far.
    These people are nuts…

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As Santa Clarita’s only local radio station, KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, along with your favorite adult contemporary hits by artists such as Rob Thomas, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Maroon 5. We are vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community. Our broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. We stream our talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience.