Los Angeles police arrested a 29-year-old suspect following a break-in at the home of progressive Mayor Karen Bass on Sunday morning.
Bass and his family were unharmed when a man, Ephraim Matthew Hunter, gained access to Getty House, the Los Angeles mayor’s official residence on Irving Boulevard.
“Around 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 placed a suspect in custody without incident.
“Mayor Bass and his family were not injured and are safe. The Mayor is grateful to the LAPD for responding and arresting the suspect,” his office said in a statement.
Hunter is being held on $50,000, according to jail records. A case will likely be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office this week.
Ephraim Matthew Hunter, 29, was arrested by the LAPD for breaking into the home of Mayor Karen Bass, pictured, at Getty House, without harming the mayor or his family.
Getty House is where Mayor Karen Bass currently lives while serving as mayor of the city.
Bass served as a Democratic member of Congress from 2011 until his 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, following former Mayor Tom Bradley, who held the position from 1973 to 1993.
Mayor Bass has implemented progressive policies, including cashless bail.
This policy means that people arrested and charged with a crime are then released without having to pay bail up front.
Critics say eliminating cash bail offenses is an invitation to those who continue to brazenly break the law.
This is the second time in three years that Bass has been the victim of a break-in.
In 2022, while she was running for office, two men stole a pair of handguns from her Baldwin Vista home.
They only took the two weapons, leaving behind cash and electronic devices.
Patricio Munoz and Juan Espinoza pleaded no contest last year to burglary and theft of a firearm. Both were sentenced to prison terms.
Among the 46,000 homeless people in Los Angeles, dozens live along the Arroyo Seco, off the 110 Freeway, near Highland Park (photo).
Bass’ latest burglary comes just days after the mayor asked the city’s rich and famous to help solve the homeless crisis by providing long-term affordable housing rather than cracking down on street cleaning .
Stunning images show a homeless town along a Los Angeles freeway, where residents have built front doors, electricity and even hammocks.
The growing number of homeless people led dozens of people to gather along Arroyo Seco, next to the busy 110 Freeway, videos showed.
Mayor Bass has asked the city’s rich and famous to fund long-term “affordable” housing for its 46,000 homeless people.
The mayor urged the “fortunate ones” to step up during her State of the City address last Monday.
His campaign, called LA4LA, would see wealthy residents help “fast-track” home-buying efforts.
“Right now we’re working on moving beyond nightly rentals,” Bass said. “We are asking the wealthiest Angelinos to participate in this effort, with personal, private and philanthropic funds – to help us acquire more properties, reduce the cost of capital and accelerate housing.”
Residents of the highway town have front doors, a work force and even hammocks to relax in.
The footage aired as Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called on the city’s rich and famous to chip in to help combat the homelessness crisis by funding “affordable” housing.
Along the busy highway, some structures feature a stone wall, a front door and even electric lighting powered by stolen electricity.
One resident even installed a hammock to relax despite the noise of the traffic. Disgruntled neighbors say the encampment should be swept away.
“It has no place here. It’s public property,” neighbor Mike Ancheta told the outlet. “But that’s not what it’s supposed to be used for. It’s dangerous. As you can see, someone is to cook there, over an open fire. They’re stealing electricity. I mean, come on.
But instead of focusing on cleaning up the city’s homeless shelters, Bass announced LA4LA, the latest initiative asking the wealthy to manage the city’s growing homelessness epidemic.
This follows the controversial Homestead Tax, which introduced a 4% levy on all homes over $5 million in a bid to generate funds for homelessness prevention.
The tax was widely ridiculed after sales of luxury homes plummeted as the wealthy circumvented the policy, generating about $700 million less than expected.
In addition to the 4% tax on properties over $5 million, for mega mansions that exceed the $10 million threshold, owners lose 5.5% of their sales price if they decide to benefit from their inheritance.
The result was a 70 percent drop in sales of high-end homes, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Neighbors next to the highway said residents were stealing electricity to power their shelters and questioned why they hadn’t been moved.
Bass instead urged the “luckier” to help address the crisis through the LA4LA program, his latest homelessness prevention initiative.
A breathtaking mansion in a gated estate in Tarzana, an affluent Los Angeles suburb, has lost $2.9 million, falling from $17.9 million in July 2023 to its current price of $15 million .
Bass said it’s up to the wealthy to help solve the city’s homeless problem, which she called a “disaster.”
“We must rely on the humanity and generosity of the private sector,” she said.
“LA4LA can be a sea change for Los Angles, an unprecedented partnership to address this emergency, an example of breaking the status quo to build a new system to save lives..’
His comments echo those made about several other billion-dollar anti-homelessness initiatives across the region.
Bass presented his Inside Safe program as proof of his policy’s success.
The initiative has moved more than 21,000 homeless people into temporary shelters, according to the Associated Press.
However, the project cost $67 million in its first year and only placed 255 people 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% over last year despite billions in investment in the region
The mayor also warned that homelessness could further increase due to the end of Covid-19 aid for low-income families and evictions.
But despite its many initiatives, the numbers have only skyrocketed, increasing by about 10 percent last year.
The mayor also warned that homelessness could further increase due to the end of Covid-19 aid for low-income families and evictions.
The City Council has now agreed to pay $2.2 million to an outside firm to audit its homeless programs, following a request from a federal judge.
Beleaguered Bass also faces a legal challenge from disgruntled business owners who say she reneged on a 2020 settlement agreement that promised to clean up homeless encampments.
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