LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti proposed a $9.2 billion budget on Thursday, which includes $176 million specifically aimed at combatting the city’s growing homeless crisis.
“We are not here to address homelessness, or manage homelessness, or reduce homelessness. We are here to end homelessness once and for all,” Garcetti said at his annual state of the city address.
Vowing to continue to make homelessness his top priority, Garcetti told city his budget plan will present more affordable housing options while also allowing city officials to provide needed social services and permanent housing to homeless residents. Advocates have long said the city’s high rents drive out lower-income residents, contributing to homelessness.
The budget also emphasizes what Garcetti has called the “core responsibilities in City Hall,” including $35 million to fix potholes and repair sidewalks. The proposal puts forward $17 million for the city’s Vision Zero campaign, which is aimed at reducing traffic fatalities.
Garcetti also laid out his goal to combat gun violence and rid Los Angeles of 20,000 guns in the next five years. The mayor, who met Wednesday with the family of a 3-year-old girl who was shot last week in South Los Angeles, said his plan includes forming a gun intelligence center to help local police and federal officials work more closely to track unregistered and stolen weapons.
The proposal comes after violent crime climbed for the third consecutive year, jumping by 37 percent from 2014 to 2016. Violent crime and homicides are down in the city since the beginning of 2017 compared to the same time last year, Garcetti said.
The city also plans to roll out an earthquake warning system and Garcetti touted initiatives to expand mass transit.
The mayor said some city agencies have seen a reduction in their budgets this year, but said those agencies were only those who had surplus funds at the end of the year. A City Council committee will begin holding public hearings on the budget proposal later this month.
“This is a balanced and fiscally responsible budget,” Garcetti said. “It protects the progress we’ve made over the last four years and allows us to plan for a prosperous future.”
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