Karen Bass speaks at opening, will moderate homelessness discussion at Conference of Mayors

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is set to participate in two sessions Thursday as the four-day United States Conference of Mayors’ 92nd Meeting begins in Kansas City, Missouri.

Bass is set to speak during Thursday morning’s plenary session and moderate a discussion on “Confronting the Homelessness Crisis: Advancing a New National Agenda,” which will reflect the most recent efforts of the conference’s Homelessness Task Force, which she chairs.

The discussion will include remarks by Tom Perez, the director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and a senior adviser to President Joe Biden, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri, and Jeff Olivet, the executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.

Bass is scheduled to return to Los Angeles Thursday evening.

Unhoused Angelenos are immediately moving indoors and staying together with their pets through Inside Safe.

Our continued partnership with @campclinics and @bestfriends is proving that having a pet should not be a barrier to housing, while bringing resources directly to furry… pic.twitter.com/yhxVvCwQ0L

— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) June 19, 2024

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson is set to speak Friday on “Reforming the Civil Service Process to Improve Access to City Jobs/Implementing a Public Service Corps.”

The key priorities to be discussed at the meeting will include “the surging mental health crisis,” housing and homelessness, public safety, technology and innovation, “creative placemaking,” and “Infrastructure Investment,” according to Reno, Nevada Mayor Hillary Schieve, the conference’s president.

Mayors from six other cities in Los Angeles County have also registered for the meeting, along with Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken, according to organizers.

In addition to Bass and Richardson, the other Los Angeles County mayors who have registered are Lester Friedman (Beverly Hills); Yasmine-Imani McMorrin (Culver City); Thomas Wong (Monterey Park); Phil Brock (Santa Monica); George Chen (Torrance); and John Erickson (West Hollywood).

Mayors from 175 cities with populations of 30,000 or more have registered for the meeting.

The meeting at the Lowes Kansas City Hotel concludes Sunday.