Los Angeles police arrested a 29-year-old suspect following a raid at the home of progressive Mayor Karen Bass on Sunday morning.
Bass and his family were not harmed when a man, Ephraim Matthew Hunter, gained entry to the Getty House, the official residence of the mayor of Los Angeles on Irving Boulevard.
“At approximately 6:40 a.m. this morning, an individual broke a window to enter the Getty House while it was occupied,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement on social media, adding that police responded and He detained the suspect without incident.
‘Mayor Bass and her family were not injured and are safe. “The mayor thanks the LAPD for responding and arresting the suspect,” her office said in a statement.
Hunter is being held in lieu of a $50,000 fine, according to jail records. A case is likely to be filed with the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office this week.
Ephraim Matthew Hunter, 29, was arrested by Los Angeles police for breaking into Mayor Karen Bass’ Getty House home without harming the mayor or her family.
Getty House is where Mayor Karen Bass currently lives while she is mayor of the city.
Bass served as a Democratic member of Congress from 2011 until her election as the city’s 43rd mayor in 2022.
The former state Assembly leader is the first woman and second Black person to hold the position, after former Mayor Tom Bradley, who served from 1973 to 1993.
Mayor Bass has helped push progressive policies across the city, including cashless bail.
The policy means that people who are arrested and charged with a crime are later released without having to post bail up front. Critics say eliminating cash bail crimes is an invitation for those to continue blatantly breaking the law.
This is the second time in three years that Bass has been the victim of a robbery.
In 2022, while he was running for office, two men stole a pair of handguns from his home in Baldwin Vista.
They only took the two weapons, leaving behind cash and electronic devices.
Patricio Muñoz and Juan Espinoza pleaded no contest last year to robbery and grand theft of a firearm. Both received prison sentences.
Among the 46,000 homeless people in Los Angeles, there are dozens living along the Arroyo Seco off the 110 Freeway near Highland Park (pictured)
Bass’ latest robbery comes just days after the mayor asked the city’s rich and famous to help with the homelessness crisis by offering long-term affordable housing instead of cracking down and cleaning up the streets.
Staggering images show a homeless city along a Los Angeles freeway where residents have built gates, electricity and even hammocks.
The growing number of people sleeping on the street has led dozens to gather along the Arroyo Seco next to the busy 110 Freeway, video shows.
Mayor Bass called on the city’s rich and famous to fund long-term “affordable” housing for its 46,000 homeless people.
The mayor urged the “luckiest” to come forward during her State of the City address last Monday. Her campaign, called LA4LA, would seek to get wealthy residents to help “accelerate” homebuying efforts.
“Right now, we are working to move away from nightly rentals,” Bass said. “We are asking the most fortunate Angelenos to participate in this effort, with personal, private sector and philanthropic funds, to help us acquire more properties, reduce the cost of capital and accelerate housing construction.”
Highway City residents have gated entry, electric power, and even hammocks to relax in.
Bass called on the city’s rich and famous to shell out money to help address the homelessness crisis by funding “affordable” housing.
Along the busy highway, the structures include one with a stone wall, a gate and even electric lighting powered by stolen electricity.
One resident has even hung a hammock to relax despite the traffic noise. Disgruntled residents believe the camp should be swept away.
‘This doesn’t belong here. “This is public property,” neighbor Mike Ancheta told the outlet. But this is not what it is supposed to be used for. This is dangerous. As you can see, someone is cooking out there, over an open fire. They are stealing electricity. Well then.’
It follows the controversial mansion tax, which introduced a four per cent levy on all homes over $5 million in a bid to generate funding for homelessness prevention.
The tax has been widely ridiculed after luxury home sales plummeted as the wealthy skirted the policy, generating about $700 million less than expected.
In addition to the four percent tax on properties over $5 million, for mega-mansions that exceed the $10 million threshold, owners lose 5.5 percent of their sales price if they decide to take advantage of your assets.
The result has been a 70 percent drop in luxury home sales, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Neighbors next to the city’s highway claimed residents are stealing electricity to power their shelters and asked why they had not been moved.
Instead, Bass has urged the “more fortunate” to help tackle the crisis as part of the LA4LA plan, his latest homelessness prevention initiative.
A stunning mansion within a gated estate in the affluent Los Angeles suburb of Tarzana has dropped $2.9 million, from $17.9 million in July 2023 to its current price of $15 million.
Bass has said it is up to the rich to help solve the city’s homeless problem, which he described as a “disaster.”
“We must prevail over the humanity and generosity of the private sector,” he said.
‘LA4LA can be a game changer for Los Angeles, an unprecedented partnership to confront this emergency, an example of how to disrupt the status quo to build a new system that saves lives..’
His comments echo those made about other homeless initiatives launched in the region to the tune of billions of dollars.
Bass touted his Inside Safe program as proof of the success of his policies. The initiative moved more than 21,000 homeless people into temporary shelters, according to The Associated Press.
However, the plan cost $67 million in its first year and only 255 people were placed in permanent housing. NBC reports.
On his first day, Bass declared a state of emergency over the growing homeless population.
Homelessness in Los Angeles increased 10 percent compared to last year despite billions of investments in the area
The mayor also warned that homelessness could increase further due to the end of Covid-19-related assistance for low-income families and evictions.
But despite their numerous initiatives, the numbers have only increased, increasing by around 10 percent in the last year.
The mayor also warned that homelessness could increase further due to the end of Covid-19-related assistance for low-income families and evictions.
The city has now agreed to pay an outside firm $2.2 million to audit its homeless programs following a request from a federal judge.
The embattled Bass also faces a legal challenge from disgruntled business owners who say it reneged on a 2020 settlement agreement that promised to clean up homeless encampments.