AARP Asks Los Angeles Mayoral Candidates Questions Vital to Voters 50+

AARP is committed to ensuring voters have the information they need to cast their ballot.

One of the most important local and closely watched races is for the Mayor of Los Angeles.  AARP California spoke with the candidates to hear where they stand on key issues for 50-plus voters.*

Here’s what they had to say:

1. As Mayor, what are your specific plans to increase affordable housing in the city?

Karen Bass: We have a housing crunch and an affordability crisis. Without addressing the lack of affordable housing, people will continue to be forced into homelessness, and the city will be increasingly unaffordable. We need to double down on building more affordable housing.

As Mayor, I will be aggressive in making it easier to build in Los Angeles, and will do it in a way that protects our existing housing stock and prevents the displacement of Angelenos – including seniors – from their homes.

I will cut through red tape, expedite approvals, waive development fees and work with the community to build more affordable housing. Existing structures should be used to the full extent possible, and zoning-compliant permanent housing projects and 100% affordable housing projects should be approved for immediate development.

I’ll consolidate all review and clearance functions within a single unit dedicated to approving 100% affordable projects. The city should never be the obstacle standing in the way of progress.

While we build, we must also preserve existing affordable housing and protect tenants from being pushed out of affordable units. I will expand access to free legal counsel for tenants facing eviction and support investments in community land trusts to keep housing affordable for the long-run. I’ll also prevent abuse and ensure accountability in PACE programs, whose use of door-to-door sales, especially in working-class communities and among seniors, has resulted in alarming predatory practices. It is imperative that we protect homeowners from being exploited by these bad actors.

Rick Caruso: We must build more housing, of all types, in all neighborhoods, in a smart and community-appropriate way. I won’t tolerate creating more density in places that can’t support it, but I will advocate for more density and height in corridors where it is appropriate. You can read my full plan here.

As mayor I will:

Leverage City’s Borrowing Power for Housing. Draft legislation to enable the use of the City’s borrowing power to purchase and carry land costs for affordable housing projects with unit counts over 100.

Waive Fees on Affordable Projects. Immediately direct the creation of legislation to waive or eliminate all fees for projects that agree to 30% affordability ratios for unit counts and sign covenants that restrict rental rates for 30 years.

Cut Down on Frivolous Lawsuits Stopping Housing. Mandate the disclosure of CEQA challenge payments by labor unions, environmental groups, and any other groups who regularly use CEQA challenges to unfairly and disingenuously leverage development projects. Mandate a $15,000 application fee for all CEQA challenges to reduce frivolous CEQA challenges that impede sensible development.

Expand Section 8. Reduce or eliminate all fees and regulations for Section 8 housing voucher projects where 75% of units or more are dedicated to Section 8 voucher recipients. Work with the federal government to triple the allocation of Section 8 housing vouchers in Los Angeles.

2. What is your overall plan to address homelessness in the city and how will the unsheltered community be connected to services, particularly for those 50 and over?

Karen Bass: Homelessness is a crisis for the unhoused and for every one of our neighborhoods – and it requires a bold and aggressive emergency response. I will bring leadership, accountability and action to dramatically reduce homelessness and end street encampments in Los Angeles.

I’ll lead with a comprehensive approach, beginning with aggressive emergency action to:

• House 15,000 people by the end of year one and build more temporary, affordable, and permanent supportive housing
• Marshal the resources of the federal, state, county and city governments around a single plan to fight homelessness
• Transition individuals from the streets to housing and services
• Lead on mental health and substance abuse treatment
• Equip the unhoused with job training and employment services to reenter the workforce
• Prevent homelessness and keep our neighbors housed

The homeless population is not a monolith – different people require different solutions, and that includes seniors. I will focus on providing seniors with access to physical and mental health services, job training and housing to help them achieve stability.

For too many years, government action on homelessness has been siloed. Federal, state, county and city governments have all moved in different directions – with no coordination or overarching plan. That simply can’t happen any longer.

I’m the only candidate with the experience and qualifications to bring all the players to the table and implement a single plan that cuts through the bureaucracy and brings home every available dollar to solve homelessness.

To read my comprehensive homelessness plan, please visit www.karenbass.com/policies/homelessness.

Rick Caruso: No one should be sleeping on our streets, that is inhumane and cruel. As Mayor of Los Angeles, I will build 30,000 shelter beds in 300 days and we will work to coordinate supportive services to help our unhoused population receive the mental health, job training, and permanent housing needed to get them back on their feet.

We will take back our parks and public spaces, we will clean up our streets with 500 new sanitation workers, and we will prevent people from becoming homeless through expanded rental assistance. To read my full plan to end street homelessness go to: https://carusocan.com/issues/homelessness/.

Specifically for our seniors, we will continue and expand Project Roomkey and Homekey to deliver fast housing solutions to those experiencing homelessness. Most importantly, I work to prevent our seniors from falling into homelessness by expand emergency rental assistance and establish mobile resource centers that can quickly and effectively find those who are in need of various services but lack transportation options.

3. How will you increase safety measures in the following areas: sidewalk improvements; public transportation; and parks/open spaces?

Karen Bass: The Mayor’s most important responsibility is to keep Angelenos safe. Today, hundreds of officers are stuck behind a desk doing administrative work, and the LAPD is down hundreds of officers from its authorized force of 9,700. I will immediately hire and deploy civilians to take over the paperwork, freeing up at least 250 officers for patrol, and simultaneously hire enough officers to return the LAPD to its authorized size.

That being said, community safety isn’t just about crime – it’s about providing Angelenos with the services and community infrastructure they need to feel safe. That’s why I will launch an Office of Community Safety, which will bring together every part of city government to make our city safer.

I am committed to making our streets and parks safer, cleaner and more accessible. Neighborhoods – particularly underserved areas – need and deserve lighting, shade and clean streets, and well-maintained parks.

No one should worry about their safety when getting from Point A to Point B. Creating a safe transportation system is critical to connecting and unifying Los Angeles. As Mayor, I will work with Metro to include ambassadors, health care workers, mental health specialists, and housing and homeless providers on our public transportation system.

Angelenos deserve safe routes to schools, parks and community centers along streets that are safe for everyone. I will stand up for safe, healthy and accessible neighborhoods and prioritize accessibility for seniors and the most vulnerable members of our community.

Rick Caruso: Restoring public safety to allow our seniors to feel safe walking within their own neighborhoods is critical to our city’s quality of life. As Mayor, I will put 1,500 new police officers on the street, return to community-based policing, hire 500 mental health and addiction caseworkers, and deploy 500 new sanitation workers to clean the streets and keep our parks/open spaces clean and safe.

I will also work with real construction experts and designers to help address our deteriorating sidewalks and our public transit stops. I will also loosen the rules around QUIMBY fund park usage and direct my Parks and Recreation Commissioners to develop a plan to utilize ALL QUIMBY funds within 4 years of taking office to create 100 additional pocket parks and regional parks.

4. With the current level of state and federal support, how will you invest in services for older adults, specifically the Department of Aging?

Karen Bass: I have fought for economic and social justice my whole life. Those are the values that guided me as Speaker of the California State Assembly and now as a Member of Congress. I was proud to help pass the American Rescue Plan, which included over one billion dollars to meet the needs of seniors, including access to vaccinations and nutritious meals, support for family caregivers, and programs to address loneliness and social isolation.

I also introduced a resolution recognizing the severity of scams targeting seniors, and worked with senior scam awareness advocates, encouraging seniors and their families to be vigilant and ensuring that they do not fall victim to predatory practices.

As we continue to recover from the pandemic, I will strengthen the Department of Aging to meet the unique needs of seniors. Specifically, I plan to partner with AARP in advancing the recommendations of the Purposeful Aging Los Angeles Initiative (PALA).

Projections show that those over the age of sixty will exceed one million or approximately one quarter of L.A.’s population by 2030. That’s less than a decade, and we need to be ready for that major demographic change. In close partnership with my office, I will empower the Department of Aging to convene city departments and stakeholders to implement the PALA recommendations and ensure that seniors can safely and reliably access housing, job training, healthcare and other services, as well as opportunities for meaningful engagement in the civic process.

Rick Caruso: The Department of Aging is one of the smallest and most underfunded departments in the City, while it also has the most consequential and lifesaving mission. Today, the vast majority of the work the department does is in relation to meal delivery and senior center programming through service providers. This needs to change. We must provide far more access to meal delivery programs, wellness checks, and services that provide mentorship and bonding experiences with our youth and senior communities. As Mayor, I pledge to accomplish that.

AARP has a proud history of nonpartisan voter engagement and does not endorse or oppose candidates or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. *Candidate responses were submitted for the primary elections; candidate responses are listed in alphabetical order by last name.