Tom Wait

3 weeks ago | cbsnews.com | Tom Wait

The ongoing homeless crisis in Los Angeles exposed a rift between the city and county as the Board of Supervisors considers the option of stripping the LA County Homeless Services Authority of hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and creating a new department. "LAHSA was created as a result of a lawsuit between the city and county some 30 years ago or more," political professor Zev Yaroslavsky said.

3 weeks ago | cbsnews.com | Tom Wait

Malibu leaders are pleading with Angelenos and tourists to return to the Pacific Coast community as many businesses struggle to stay afloat in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire. "Unprecedented times, to say the least," former Malibu Mayor Mikke Pierson said,Pierson, who now works with the local Chamber of Commerce, added that many mom-and-pop shops that survived the fires are seeing their businesses get choked off because of the Pacific Coast Highway closure.

1 month ago | cbsnews.com | Tom Wait

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara faces new scrutiny after traveling to Bermuda for an insurance conference last week. His critics echoed their discontentment with his close relationship with industry leaders, dozens of which were at the conference. However, Lara's office said the commissioner delivered a keynote address at the conference.

1 month ago | cbsnews.com | Tom Wait

A new poll shows that less than 20% of Los Angeles residents believed that Mayor Karen Bass handled the January wildfires well. The latest LA Times-UC Berkeley poll shows that 41% of residents described Bass' response to the disaster as poor or very poor. Researchers also found that 19% of Angelenos thought she did an excellent or good job during the fires, while 22% classified her performance as fair.

2 months ago | cbsnews.com | Tom Wait

After a month-long delay due to the wildfires, Los Angeles County volunteers took to the streets Tuesday night for the annual homeless count. When LA County conducted its survey last year, the homeless crisis was the city and county's top priority. However, last month's disaster has added pressure on Mayor Karen Bass and her county colleagues to show progress in reducing the homeless population after the criticism local leaders faced over the wildfire response.