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Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lopez: Trump's order on homelessness gets it all wrong, and here's why
President Trump has the answer to homelessness. Forcibly clear the streets. On Thursday, he signed an executive order to address 'endemic vagrancy' and end 'crime and disorder on our streets.' He called for the use of 'civil commitments' to get those who suffer from mental illness or addiction into 'humane treatment.' This comes after last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling making it legal for cities to punish people for being homeless, even if they have nowhere to go. There's some truth in what he says, and California's record on housing and homelessness is ripe for criticism. I've watched too many people suffer from addiction and mental illness and asked why the help is so slow to arrive. But I also know there are no simple answers for either crisis, and bluster is no substitute for desperately needed resources. Like a lot of what Trump does, this is another case of grandstanding. In the meantime, the Washington Post reported Thursday that the "Trump administration has slashed more than $1 billion in COVID-era grants administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and is proposing to slash hundreds of millions more in agency grants." As it happens, I was in the middle of a column on the latest Los Angeles homeless count when news of Trump's executive order broke. I had just spent time with two homeless women to hear about their predicaments, and none of what Trump is proposing comes close to addressing their needs, which are tragically commonplace. Namely, they're living in poverty and can't afford a place to live. In his executive order, Trump said that 'nearly two-thirds of homeless individuals report having used hard drugs … in their lifetimes. An equally large share of homeless individuals reported suffering from mental health conditions.' I don't know where he got those numbers, but truth and accuracy are not hallmarks of this administration. Read more: 'Very aggressive treatment' on the streets of Skid Row from a 'Renegade M.D.' No doubt, addiction and mental illness are significant factors, and more intervention is needed. But that's more complicated than he thinks, especially given the practical and legal issues surrounding coercive treatment — and it's not going to solve the problem. When the latest homeless count in Los Angeles was released, a slight decline from a year ago was regarded by many as a positive sign. But when Eli Veitzer of Jewish Family Service L.A. dug into the numbers, he found something both unsurprising and deeply disturbing. The number of homeless people 65 and older hadn't gone down. It had surged, in both the city and county of Los Angeles. 'This isn't new this year. It's a trend over the last couple of years,' said Veitzer, whose nonprofit provides meals, housing assistance and various other services to clients. 'It's meaningful, and it's real, and these people are at the highest risk of mortality while they're on the streets.' The numbers from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority showed a 3.4% decrease in the total homeless population in the city, but a 17.6% increase among those 65 and older. The county numbers showed a 3.99% decrease overall, but an 8.59% increase in the 65 and older group. In the city, the increase over two years was from 3,427 in 2023 to 4,680 this year — up 37%. Reliable research has shown that among older adults who become homeless, the primary reason is the combination of poverty and high housing costs, rather than mental illness or addiction. 'They or their spouse lost their job, they or their spouse got sick, their marriage broke up or their spouse or parent died,' Dr. Margot Kushel of UC San Francisco's Homelessness and Housing Initiative was telling me several hours before Trump's executive order was issued. Her team's landmark study, released two years ago (and covered by my colleague Anita Chabria), found that nearly half the state's homeless residents were 50 and older, and that participants in the study reported a median monthly household income of $960. 'The results … confirm that far too many Californians experience homelessness because they cannot afford housing,' Kushel said at the time. Among the older population, Veitzer said, the jump in homelessness comes against the backdrop of federal and local budget cuts that will make it harder to reverse the trend. And harder for nonprofits, which rely in part on public funding, to keep providing group meals, home-delivered meals, transportation, social services and housing support. 'Every provider I've talked to in the city of L.A. is cutting meal programs,' Veitzer said. 'We're going to have to close two of our 13 meal sites, and last year we closed three. We used to have 16, and now we're down to 11.' On Wednesday, I went to one of the sites that's still up and running on Santa Monica Boulevard, just west of the 405, and met Jane Jefferies, 69. She told me she's been camping in her vehicle since February when living with her brother became impossible for various reasons. She now pulls into a Safe Parking L.A. lot each night to bed down. Jefferies said she collects about $1,400 a month in Social Security, which isn't enough to get her into an apartment. At the senior center, she uses her own equipment to make buttons that she sells on the Venice boardwalk, where she can make up to $200 on a good weekend. But that's still not enough to cover the cost of housing, she told me, and she's given up on government help. 'All the funding has been cut, and I don't know if it's because a lot of the city and state funding is subsidized by the federal government. We all know Trump hates California,' she said. As Veitzer put it: 'There's nowhere near enough low-income senior housing in L.A. County. Wait lists open up periodically," with far more applicants than housing units. "And then they close.' His agency delivers a daily meal to Vancie Davis, 73, who lives in a van at Penmar Park in Venice. Her next-door neighbor is her son, Thomas Williamson, 51, who lives in his car. Davis was in the front seat of the van when I arrived, hugging her dog, Heart. Her left leg was amputated below the knee two years ago because of an infection, she told me. Davis said she and another son were living in a trailer in Oregon, but the owner shut off the utilities and changed the locks. She said she reached out to Williamson, who told her, 'I've got a van for you, so you'll have a place to live, but it's going to be rough. And it is. It's very, very rough.' I've heard so many variations of stories like these over the years, I've lost count. The magnitude that exists in the wealthiest nation in history is a disgrace, and a sad commentary on an economic system and public policy that have served to widen, rather than narrow, the inequity gap. On Thursday, Trump's executive order on homelessness grabbed headlines but will do nothing for Jane Jefferies or Vancie Davis and for thousands like them. We know the interventions that can work, Kushel said, but with deep cuts in the works, we're moving in the wrong direction. Davis' son Thomas told Times photographer Genaro Molina about another person who lives in a vehicle and has been a neighbor of theirs in the parking lot. She wasn't there Wednesday, but we'll check back. It's a 91-year-old woman. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
Time Out
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Chicago named one of the best nightlife cities in America, beating NYC and LA
When you have the kind of winters Chicago has, you understand how to have a good time, no matter the weather. Now we're getting the recognition we deserve as the second-plash finisher on Time Out's ranking of best cities for nightlife in North America, after Sin City itself, Las Vegas. Yes, that means the Windy City beat out on nightlife powerhouses like New York City, Los Angeles and Miami. But that's not exactly a surprise to anyone who knows that a Tuesday night can be just as wild as Saturday when the vibe is right and the DJ knows what they're doing. What a change from a few years ago, though—the COVID-era shutdowns took us from barhopping on Clark Street to sipping Malört alone in our apartments in sweatpants. Restaurants and bars got creative with to-go drinks and patio heaters, but nothing will ever beat the buzz of a crowded bar on a hot summer night. But now we're living in a nightlife renaissance. You can feel it everywhere, from the new wave of cocktail bars tucked into historic buildings to the underground raves happening in lofts that may or may not be technically legal. There's an energy in the air again, and it's got nothing to do with the weather. Time Out polled thousands of people in hundreds of the world's best cities on both the quality and affordability of their city's nightlife scene, from clubbing to bars, pubs and nighttime entertainment. After crunching the data, a panel of nightlife experts, including Time Out's city editors and arts-and-culture writers, voted on their faves for the final rankings. Need proof that Chicago is killing it on the bar scene? Look no further than local favorites like Kumiko, where cocktails are treated like tiny, edible poems, or The Green Mill, which still feels cool after all these decades. There's late-night dancing at Smartbar, intimate wine bars in Logan Square and queer joy radiating out of Sidetrack. We've got dive bars, rooftop lounges, jazz joints, and anywhere else you might want to end up at 2am. In this city, 'last call' just means 'see you at the after party.' Best cities for nightlife in the U.S., according to Time Out Las Vegas Chicago New Orleans Miami New York Los Angeles Austin San Diego Orlando Dallas
Los Angeles Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Trump's order on homelessness gets it all wrong, and here's why
President Trump has the answer to homelessness. Forcibly clear the streets. On Thursday, he signed an executive order to address 'endemic vagrancy' and end 'crime and disorder on our streets.' He called for the use of 'civil commitments' to get those who suffer from mental illness or addiction into 'humane treatment.' This comes after last year's U.S. Supreme Court ruling making it legal for cities to punish people for being homeless, even if they have nowhere to go. There's some truth in what he says, and California's record on housing and homelessness is ripe for criticism. I've watched too many people suffer from addiction and mental illness and asked why the help is so slow to arrive. But I also know there are no simple answers for either crisis, and bluster is no substitute for desperately needed resources. Like a lot of what Trump does, this is another case of grandstanding. In the meantime, the Washington Post reported Thursday that the 'Trump administration has slashed more than $1 billion in COVID-era grants administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and is proposing to slash hundreds of millions more in agency grants.' As it happens, I was in the middle of a column on the latest Los Angeles homeless count when news of Trump's executive order broke. I had just spent time with two homeless women to hear about their predicaments, and none of what Trump is proposing comes close to addressing their needs, which are tragically commonplace. Namely, they're living in poverty and can't afford a place to live. In his executive order, Trump said that 'nearly two-thirds of homeless individuals report having used hard drugs … in their lifetimes. An equally large share of homeless individuals reported suffering from mental health conditions.' I don't know where he got those numbers, but truth and accuracy are not hallmarks of this administration. No doubt, addiction and mental illness are significant factors, and more intervention is needed. But that's more complicated than he thinks, especially given the practical and legal issues surrounding coercive treatment — and it's not going to solve the problem. When the latest homeless count in Los Angeles was released, a slight decline from a year ago was regarded by many as a positive sign. But when Eli Veitzer of Jewish Family Service L.A. dug into the numbers, he found something both unsurprising and deeply disturbing. The number of homeless people 65 and older hadn't gone down. It had surged, in both the city and county of Los Angeles. 'This isn't new this year. It's a trend over the last couple of years,' said Veitzer, whose nonprofit provides meals, housing assistance and various other services to clients. 'It's meaningful, and it's real, and these people are at the highest risk of mortality while they're on the streets.' The numbers from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority showed a 3.4% decrease in the total homeless population in the city, but a 17.6% increase among those 65 and older. The county numbers showed a 3.99% decrease overall, but an 8.59% increase in the 65 and older group. In the city, the increase over two years was from 3,427 in 2023 to 4,680 this year — up 37%. Reliable research has shown that among older adults who become homeless, the primary reason is the combination of poverty and high housing costs, rather than mental illness or addiction. 'They or their spouse lost their job, they or their spouse got sick, their marriage broke up or their spouse or parent died,' Dr. Margot Kushel of UC San Francisco's Homelessness and Housing Initiative was telling me several hours before Trump's executive order was issued. Her team's landmark study, released two years ago (and covered by my colleague Anita Chabria), found that nearly half the state's homeless residents were 50 and older, and that participants in the study reported a median monthly household income of $960. 'The results … confirm that far too many Californians experience homelessness because they cannot afford housing,' Kushel said at the time. Among the older population, Veitzer said, the jump in homelessness comes against the backdrop of federal and local budget cuts that will make it harder to reverse the trend. And harder for nonprofits, which rely in part on public funding, to keep providing group meals, home-delivered meals, transportation, social services and housing support. 'Every provider I've talked to in the city of L.A. is cutting meal programs,' Veitzer said. 'We're going to have to close two of our 13 meal sites, and last year we closed three. We used to have 16, and now we're down to 11.' On Wednesday, I went to one of the sites that's still up and running on Santa Monica Boulevard, just west of the 405, and met Jane Jefferies, 69. She told me she's been camping in her vehicle since February when living with her brother became impossible for various reasons. She now pulls into a Safe Parking L.A. lot each night to bed down. Jefferies said she collects about $1,400 a month in Social Security, which isn't enough to get her into an apartment. At the senior center, she uses her own equipment to make buttons that she sells on the Venice boardwalk, where she can make up to $200 on a good weekend. But that's still not enough to cover the cost of housing, she told me, and she's given up on government help. 'All the funding has been cut, and I don't know if it's because a lot of the city and state funding is subsidized by the federal government. We all know Trump hates California,' she said. As Veitzer put it: 'There's nowhere near enough low-income senior housing in L.A. County. Wait lists open up periodically,' with far more applicants than housing units. 'And then they close.' His agency delivers a daily meal to Vancie Davis, 73, who lives in a van at Penmar Park in Venice. Her next-door neighbor is her son, Thomas Williamson, 51, who lives in his car. Davis was in the front seat of the van when I arrived, hugging her dog, Heart. Her left leg was amputated below the knee two years ago because of an infection, she told me. Davis said she and another son were living in a trailer in Oregon, but the owner shut off the utilities and changed the locks. She said she reached out to Williamson, who told her, 'I've got a van for you, so you'll have a place to live, but it's going to be rough. And it is. It's very, very rough.' I've heard so many variations of stories like these over the years, I've lost count. The magnitude that exists in the wealthiest nation in history is a disgrace, and a sad commentary on an economic system and public policy that have served to widen, rather than narrow, the inequity gap. On Thursday, Trump's executive order on homelessness grabbed headlines but will do nothing for Jane Jefferies or Vancie Davis and for thousands like them. We know the interventions that can work, Kushel said, but with deep cuts in the works, we're moving in the wrong direction. Davis' son Thomas told Times photographer Genaro Molina about another person who lives in a vehicle and has been a neighbor of theirs in the parking lot. She wasn't there Wednesday, but we'll check back. It's a 91-year-old woman.
New York Post
14 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
George Santos bids dramatic farewell to supporters, critics before he begins 87-month prison sentence: ‘The curtain falls'
Former Rep. George Santos posted a theatrical farewell on social media Thursday night, just hours before he was to begin serving a federal prison sentence for fraud and identity theft. 'Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,' Santos wrote on X. 'From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it's been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days. To my supporters: You made this wild political cabaret worth it. To my critics: Thanks for the free press.' The former New York congressman is expected to report to federal custody Friday to begin serving an 87-month sentence, just over seven years, after pleading guilty in 2024 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Santos was assessed the maximum sentence in April by US District Judge Joanna Seybert. He was also ordered to pay nearly $374,000 in restitution and forfeit more than $205,000 in fraud proceeds. His guilty plea followed a sweeping investigation into campaign finance fraud, donor identity theft and false COVID-era unemployment claims. 5 Former Rep. George Santos leaves Federal Court after his sentencing in Islip, NY on April 25, 2025. PETER FOLEY/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock 5 Santos blows a kiss to the cameras as he leaves a federal courthouse in Islip, NY on Oct. 27, 2023. REUTERS 'This prosecution speaks to the truth that my office is committed to aggressively rooting out public corruption,' said US Attorney John J. Durham, who called the sentence 'judgment day' for Santos and justice for his victims. Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said Santos 'traded in his integrity for designer clothes and a luxury lifestyle.' Prosecutors shared how Santos and his campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, doctored donor reports to qualify for national Republican party funding. They fabricated contributions from Santos' family and falsely reported a $500,000 loan from Santos, though he had under $8,000 in his accounts. Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed. From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it's been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days. To my supporters: You made this wild… — George Santos (@MrSantosNY) July 24, 2025 He also stole credit card information from donors, including 'victims he knew were elderly persons suffering from cognitive impairment or decline' and made unauthorized charges to fund both campaign and personal expenses, according to the DOJ. Santos also used a fake political fundraising company to solicit tens of thousands of dollars which he spent on 'designer clothing.' During the pandemic, Santos fraudulently claimed over $24,000 in unemployment benefits while employed at an investment firm. He also submitted false congressional financial disclosures to the House. 5 Former Rep. George Santos arrives at federal court for his sentencing on April 25, 2025. AP 5 Former Rep. George Santos leaves federal court on Aug. 13, 2024. Bloomberg via Getty Images 5 Santos appears in a social media post in June 2025. George Santos/ X Santos was elected in 2022 after flipping New York's 3rd District for the GOP. His résumé was easily debunked. He falsely claimed academic degrees, Wall Street jobs and family ties to the Holocaust and 9/11. He was expelled from Congress in December 2023 after a scathing ethics report, becoming just the sixth member ever removed from the People's House. Santos has remained publicly active after his sentencing, selling video messages on Cameo and making social media posts. His tweet concluded, 'I may be leaving the stage (for now), but trust me legends never truly exit.' Unless pardoned, Santos is expected to remain incarcerated until at least early 2032. He has reportedly appealed to President Donald Trump for clemency. The White House and Santos did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Former Congressman George Santos delivers 'glamorous' farewell before going to prison: 'The curtain falls'
Former Rep. George Santos posted a theatrical farewell on social media Thursday night, just hours before he was to begin serving a federal prison sentence for fraud and identity theft. "Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed," Santos wrote on X. "From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it's been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days. To my supporters: You made this wild political cabaret worth it. To my critics: Thanks for the free press." The former New York congressman is expected to report to federal custody Friday to begin serving an 87-month sentence, just over seven years, after pleading guilty in 2024 to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Santos was assessed the maximum sentence in April by U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert. He was also ordered to pay nearly $374,000 in restitution and forfeit more than $205,000 in fraud proceeds. His guilty plea followed a sweeping investigation into campaign finance fraud, donor identity theft and false COVID-era unemployment claims. "This prosecution speaks to the truth that my office is committed to aggressively rooting out public corruption," said U.S. Attorney John J. Durham, who called the sentence "judgment day" for Santos and justice for his victims. Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said Santos "traded in his integrity for designer clothes and a luxury lifestyle." Prosecutors shared how Santos and his campaign treasurer, Nancy Marks, doctored donor reports to qualify for national Republican party funding. They fabricated contributions from Santos' family and falsely reported a $500,000 loan from Santos, though he had under $8,000 in his accounts. He also stole credit card information from donors, including "victims he knew were elderly persons suffering from cognitive impairment or decline" and made unauthorized charges to fund both campaign and personal expenses, according to the DOJ. Santos also used a fake political fundraising company to solicit tens of thousands of dollars which he spent on "designer clothing." During the pandemic, Santos fraudulently claimed over $24,000 in unemployment benefits while employed at an investment firm. He also submitted false congressional financial disclosures to the House. Santos was elected in 2022 after flipping New York's 3rd District for the GOP. His résumé was easily debunked. He falsely claimed academic degrees, Wall Street jobs and family ties to the Holocaust and 9/11. He was expelled from Congress in December 2023 after a scathing ethics report, becoming just the sixth member ever removed from the People's House. Santos has remained publicly active after his sentencing, selling video messages on Cameo and making social media posts. His tweet concluded, "I may be leaving the stage (for now), but trust me legends never truly exit." Unless pardoned, Santos is expected to remain incarcerated until at least early 2032. He has reportedly appealed to President Donald Trump for clemency. The White House and Santos did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
