Police in Los Angeles arrested a 29-year-old suspect Sunday morning after a burglary at the home of progressive Mayor Karen Bass.
Bass and her family were not harmed when a man, Ephraim Matthew Hunter, gained access to Getty House, the official residence of the LA mayor on Irving Boulevard.
“Around 6:40 a.m. this morning, an individual broke a window to gain entry to the Getty House while it was occupied,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement on social media, adding that police responded and arrested a suspect without incident. took custody.
“Mayor Bass and her family were not injured and are safe. The Mayor is grateful to the LAPD for its response and arrest of the suspect,” her office said in a statement.
Hunter is being held on a $50,000 bond, according to jail records. A case will likely be presented to the Los Angeles County district attorney this week.
Ephraim Matthew Hunter, 29, was arrested by the LAPD for breaking into Mayor Karen Bass’ home, pictured, at Getty House, without harming the mayor or her family
Getty House is where Mayor Karen Bass currently lives as mayor of the city
Bass served as a Democratic congresswoman 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, following former Mayor Tom Bradley, who held the position from 1973 to 1993.
Mayor Bass has implemented progressive policies including no cash bail.
The policy means that individuals arrested and charged with a crime are subsequently released without having to post bail up front.
Critics say the abolition of 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 burglary.
In 2022, while she was running for office, two men stole a pair of handguns from her home in Baldwin Vista.
They only took the two guns and left behind cash and electronics.
Patricio Munoz and Juan Espinoza pleaded no contest last year to burglary and theft of a firearm. Both received prison sentences.
Among the 46,000 people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles, dozens live along the Arroyo Seco next to the 110 Freeway near Highland Park (photo)
Bass’ latest break-in comes just days after the mayor asked the city’s rich and famous to help with the city’s homelessness crisis by offering long-term affordable housing instead of heavy-handed street cleaning.
Stunning images show a homeless town along an LA freeway, where residents have built front doors, electricity and even hammocks.
The rising number of rough sleepers has led to dozens of people gathering along the Arroyo Seco next to the busy 110 Freeway, video footage shows.
Mayor Bass asked the city’s rich and famous to fund long-term “affordable” housing for the 46,000 homeless people.
The mayor called on the ‘luckiest’ to take action during her State of the City address last Monday.
Her campaign, called LA4LA, would help wealthy residents “speed up” home-buying efforts.
“Right now we’re working on getting past nightly rentals,” Bass said. “We are asking the most fortunate Angelinos to join this effort, with personal, private and philanthropic funds – to help us acquire more properties, lower the cost of capital and accelerate housing delivery.”
Residents of the highway city have front doors, workers and even hammocks to relax in
The images emerged as Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass asked the city’s rich and famous to help tackle the homelessness crisis by funding “affordable” housing
Along the busy highway, structures include a stone wall, a front door and even electric lights powered by stolen electricity.
One resident even hung a hammock to relax despite the noise of traffic. Disgruntled neighbors say the encampment should be wiped out.
‘This doesn’t belong here. This is public property,” neighbor Mike Ancheta told the newspaper. ‘But this is not what it is intended for. This is dangerous. As you can see, someone is cooking there, on an open fire. They steal 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 control the city’s spiraling homelessness epidemic.
It follows the controversial mansion tax, which introduced a four per cent levy on all homes over $5 million in a bid to raise money for homelessness prevention.
The tax has been widely ridiculed after luxury home sales plummeted as the wealthy sidestepped the policy and collected about $700 million less than forecast.
On top of the four percent tax on properties over $5 million, homeowners for mega-mansions that exceed the $10 million threshold will lose 5.5 percent of their sales price if they decide to cash out their estate.
The result is a 70 percent drop in luxury home sales, the newspaper said Los Angeles Times.
Neighbors next to the highway town claimed residents are stealing electricity to power their shelters and wondered why they haven’t been moved further
Bass has instead called on the ‘luckiest’ to help tackle the crisis as part of the LA4LA programme, its latest homelessness prevention initiative
A stunning mansion on a gated estate in the affluent LA suburb of Tarzana has dropped by $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 wealthy to help solve the city’s homeless problem, which she described as a “disaster.”
“We must overcome the humanity and generosity of the private sector,” she said.
‘LA4LA can be a game changer for Los Angles, an unprecedented partnership to face this emergency, an example of disrupting the status quo to build a new system to save lives.’
Her comments echo those of several other multibillion-dollar homelessness initiatives launched in the region.
Bass touted its Inside Safe program as evidence of the success of its policies.
According to The Associated Press, the initiative has moved more than 21,000 homeless people into temporary shelters.
However, the plan cost $67 million in its first year and placed only 255 people in permanent housing. NBC reports.
On her first day, Bass declared a state of emergency due to the growing homeless population.
Homelessness in LA is up 10% compared to last year, despite billions in investment in the area
The mayor also warned that homelessness could increase even further due to the end of Covid-19-related assistance for low-income families and evictions.
But despite her many initiatives, the numbers have only continued to rise, with an increase of about 10 percent over the past year.
The mayor also warned that homelessness could increase even further due to the end of Covid-19-related assistance for low-income families and evictions.
The City Council has now agreed to pay an outside company $2.2 million to monitor its homelessness programs, following a request from a federal judge.
Beleaguered Bass also faces a legal challenge from disgruntled business owners who claim she reneged on a 2020 settlement agreement that promised to clear homeless encampments.