Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she was proud of her tackling of homelessness in the city during her first year in office.
Bass made her remarks during a Tuesday interview with Fox 11's Elex Michaelson.
During the interview, the local Fox anchor asked the Los Angeles mayor about some of her accomplishments in her first year.
"I'm most proud of getting people housed who are on the streets and so excited about year two and want to see how we expand that," she responded.
Michaelson noted Bass received a "10 out of 10" rating from LA Magazine's Jon Regardie, and asked Bass what she would rate herself.
"I think a perfectionist always wants to do more," she said. "I wouldn't say a ten out of ten, maybe an eight out of ten."
The Fox 11 anchor referenced the city's' Inside Safe program which has a price tag of $67 million and has "permanently housed" 255 people and temporarily housed other homeless individuals. Michaelson also noted LA and California largely has spent billions in combatting homelessness over the years.
"Where is that money going?" Michaelson asked.
Bass said she could provide a "full financial report," though insisted "housing people is not just paying for a room."
"It's meals, it's social services. There's a lot involved in that," she continued, though conceded the city needed to find a more "cost effective" way of "providing interim housing."
Bass also referenced footage being played during her interview which showed city workers cleaning up homeless encampments and noted clean ups efforts also strained the city's resources.
"Is it fair though to say that money needs to be better spent?" Michaelson asked.
"I think we need to look for more cost-effective ways for interim housing," she repeated. "But what we have done up until now, the de facto policy is 'you stay on the street until we build you a permanent house.'"
The LA mayor said that policy was a "real problem" which cost the city "millions and millions" to counter trash and fires caused by homeless people.
Bass originally set a goal to remove 17,000 people from the streets, though announced last week that more than 21,000 people had been provided some kind of housing in her first year in office. The LA mayor also said veterans who receive benefits would be disqualified from city housing and suggested current laws should be changed to expedite the city's ability to help the homeless.
