Crime, homelessness frame race for mayor of Los Angeles

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD
AP Political Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The contest to become the next mayor of Los Angeles can be distilled into a single question with no easy answer: Who can fix this mess? From homelessness to rising crime, residents are unhappy and frustrated. The campaign will test if voters in the liberal-minded city could embrace a new mayor with a tough approach to crime and sprawling homeless encampments that have spread into virtually every neighborhood. One of the leading candidates is Democratic U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, a progressive favorite. Billionaire developer Rick Caruso — a Republican-turned-Democrat — says politicians can’t solve the problems created on their watch.