City Attorney Mike Feuer calls for series of LA mayoral candidate debates

Hours after Rep. Karen Bass jumped into the 2022 election for mayor of Los Angeles, City Attorney and mayoral candidate Mike Feuer called Monday for a series of debates among the candidates.

“Voters deserve to know much more about who we are and what we stand for because in many ways their safety, livelihoods and quality of life depend on it. So, let’s debate. Let’s debate now and let’s debate often,” Feuer said.

Feuer called for the first debate to focus on the homelessness crisis, a top issue for all the candidates, who also include City Councilmen Joe Buscaino and Kevin de León, Central City Association of Los Angeles President and CEO Jessica Lall and businessman Mel Wilson.

Bass’ campaign website outlines her vision for the city, saying she will focus on homelessness, calling it “a public health and humanitarian crisis” and saying the city needs to address the root causes of the problem. Buscaino and De León have also made homelessness a top issue of their campaigns. Buscaino has focused on calling for strict enforcement of the city’s anti-camping laws and an amendment to prohibit people from camping or sleeping on sidewalks if they’ve already been offered shelter.

De León announced his run last week and emphasized his own experience being housing insecure and sleeping in his car. The councilman introduced a plan in January, called the “A Way Home” initiative, to have the city develop a plan to create 25,000 new homeless housing units by 2025.

Feuer, who was the first to announce his campaign for mayor in March 2020, also emphasized homelessness and affordable housing as his top issues.

Feuer said the candidates should begin debating their agendas right away instead of waiting until 2022, when they will be competing for the public’s attention during statewide and federal elections.

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