Angelenos have been inundated with brutal and inexplicable acts of violence in our communities this year. Impossible to name them all, significant incidents affected the DTLA community, including the attack of Olympian Kim Glass at 8th and Olive Streets, the fatal assault of Nurse Sandra Shells while waiting for a bus near LA Union Station and the unsafe conditions for workers at LA Union Station. There are many more unreported violent crimes and those that are not deemed "newsworthy" that go unnoticed every day. All of these incidents are cause for concern and warrant immediate action.

Meeting Downtown Los Angeles' (DTLA) public safety needs are an ongoing, top priority for CCA. Downtown is the only community that has the combined advantages of being the region's job center, mobility hub, cultural and entertainment destination, heart of civic life -- and most importantly, is home to a diverse and growing residential community. To help ensure DTLA's resilience as the heart of Los Angeles, CCA doubled down on our efforts by launching a robust public safety and wellness initiative this year with a focus on public safety resources in the City of Los Angeles budget process.

Much of our advocacy on the Los Angeles City budget was well-received. Due in large part to our efforts, the budget hearing testimony of about 30 DTLA residents and 375 signed letters, Councilmember de León secured $2.5 million in overtime funding for more foot beat officers in DTLA. We recognize Councilmember de León's leadership on this important issue and his team for helping ensure that residents' calls to action were answered. LAPD Central Division Captain Morales began strategically deploying high-visibility foot patrols on July 20, 2022 in parts of DTLA. Still, our work continues to make DTLA a safer place for everyone.

We are also glad to share that the City of LA's Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE) program, an unarmed service model for mental health crises responses, will soon expand to DTLA's Little Tokyo, Civic Center and Historic Core communities. Little Tokyo will also be home to CIRCLE's office, which will operate 24/7. We believe that reducing violence and mental health crises in DTLA requires both public safety and wellness responses, which is why we recently asked Supervisor Solis for more help with addressing these challenges that impact both housed and unhoused Angelenos. CCA continues to seek improved coordination between City and County local government and departments, asking Supervisor Solis to support:

• A dedicated 9-8-8 mobile van that would respond to mental health crises 24/7 in DTLA
• The expansion of a street medicine program
• Increased community policing by bringing more foot beat officers to Downtown

Supervisor Solis and her team demonstrated their commitment to DTLA's safety and wellness in the past by continuing to reimagine the Men's Central Jail site, opening the Hilda Solis Care First Village in record-breaking time during the pandemic and completing the first phase of the Restorative Care Village at LAC+USC Medical Center which brought 64 recuperative care beds online -- a much-needed resource to help break the cycle of homelessness, hospitalizations and incarceration. Read more about our requests to Supervisor Solis and why they matter here.

Realizing a safer, healthier DTLA means that all our government entities will need to work together to bring resources online and draw from effective programs. CCA will continue to partner with our members, DTLA residents and elected leaders to help deliver these outcomes. With the November general election approaching, we have an important opportunity to vote for candidates who have sound approaches to the complexities of public safety, mental health, housing and homelessness, which is critical to making DTLA and our region a safer, more welcoming place for everyone. Read our voter guide from the June 2022 primary election here that lists our endorsed candidates who we believe will help achieve these goals, and stay tuned for our updated general election voter guide.