LA Mayor Karen Bass: Democrats Must Stand Strong and Lead on Public Safety | Opinion

Keeping people safe is not a partisan slogan—it is a basic promise of government. And Democrats cannot dodge it. Because when we do, we don’t just lose politically. We concede the issue to Republicans. We allow them to define the problem, define the terms and ultimately, define us. And we saw the cost of that in November 2024.

That is why Democrats must not only lead the conversation around public safety, but we must lead it better. That means rejecting the old playbook and embracing a comprehensive approach to public safety. That is, preventing crime in the first place, addressing the social, health and economic factors that contribute to violence, responding effectively when crime happens, delivering just outcomes through the justice system and preventing recidivism so that punishment does not become a life sentence.

This isn’t abstract. It is exactly what Democrats have shown in cities like Chicago, Baltimore, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., and beyond. And it is also exactly what we are doing in Los Angeles—and it is working.

First, we work to prevent crime before it happens. To achieve this, I worked to establish a dedicated Office of Community Safety in my administration to coordinate public health experts, intervention workers and law enforcement so that safety strategies aren’t fragmented—they’re unified. We’ve also funded credible messenger programs and violence interruption teams that mediate conflicts, stop retaliation cycles and connect young people to jobs and services instead of funerals and courtrooms. Our Gang Reduction and Youth Development initiative embeds caseworkers, outreach teams and community responders into neighborhoods historically written off by the government.

Second, when crime does happen, we ensure a swift and fair response. The city launched a Retail Theft Task Force that has made more than 350 arrests and recovered $66 million in stolen goods. Recruitment into the LAPD reached a four-year high after years of decline. Homicides dropped 14 percent in 2024 and are now at the lowest total in nearly 6o years—a reminder that enforcement, when paired with accountability and trust-building, saves lives.

Third, we focus on preventing recidivism, not pretending it doesn’t exist. Los Angeles expanded juvenile reentry programs, job pathways for formerly incarcerated Angelenos and diversion programs that treat addiction and mental health crises like medical emergencies. We connect people returning home to training, employment and community-based support so they are not locked out of the legal economy—a system that once pushed too many to survive outside of it.

I’ve seen this story before. Thirty years ago, at the height of the crack epidemic, the government responded to public anger with punishment. The political incentive was brutal and simple: appear tougher in order to get reelected. So politicians raced to pass punitive legislation, rarely considering the consequences.

The impact? Entire neighborhoods—especially Black and brown ones—became the catchment zones of punishment. Mass incarceration made prison a normalized stop on the life path for too many young Americans. And the sentence didn’t end when time was served. It followed people home, shutting doors to employment, restricting housing access, allowing child support arrears to spiral and fracturing families long after individuals had paid their debt to society. The result was predictable, but ignored: Communities locked out of opportunity were left cycling back into crime, disruption and survival.

We cannot repeat that mistake as Democrats. Safety is not found in one tool—policing alone—nor in slogans about reform alone. It is built when we prevent harm, address it and stop it from repeating, while keeping justice and compassion at the center of our response.

Democrats across the country are proving this same truth: progressive governance and public safety are not contradictions. They are complements. But as Democrats, we must tell that story—clearly, loudly and relentlessly—or our opponents will write a different one for us.

Public safety is not theoretical. It is whether a grandmother feels safe waiting for the bus. Whether a child can walk to school without fear. Whether a shopkeeper can lock up at night knowing their livelihood won’t be stolen twice—once by criminals, again by bad policy. Safety is freedom. It is dignity. It is what keeps our communities whole.

As the midterms approach, voters will keep asking the same question of political candidates and elected officials: “Who will keep my family safe?” Democrats must answer—not by flinching or with avoidance, but with moral clarity and results that prove our solutions work.

Ultimately, Democrats believe in a government that works to protect all its people—and nothing shows that more than safer neighborhoods. In Los Angeles, crime is falling. Progress is taking hold. That is something to be proud of.

Because when we lead on safety—when we stand firm against violence and stand with our communities—we don’t just reduce crime. We make every life safer and better.  

Karen Bass is the mayor of Los Angeles.

The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.