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Thousands gather throughout Southland to protest Trump policies
LAHSA CEO resigns after county board cuts millions from agency
By City News Service
By Staff
T
housands of people gathered throughout the Southland Saturday as part of a nationwide series of "Hands Off!" demonstrations in opposition to the Trump administration's steep tariffs, program cuts and mass layoffs of federal workers. In downtown Los Angeles, demonstrators carried a 20-foot-tall balloon of the image of President Donald Trump wearing a diaper and a 15-foot-tall helium-filled balloon representing Trump wearing a Russian military uniform during a march along a nearly milelong stretch of sidewalks and streets, that began with a rally at Pershing Square at 4 p.m. Saturday. Thousands of people filled Pershing Square as Alan Vargas of California Young Democrats told the crowd, "When we come together, the rich sweat," adding, "Be loud. Be noisy. Be disruptive." Among the signs carried by demonstrators: "Eggs are too expensive. Eat the rich," "It's not left vs. right. It's the oligarchy vs. all of us," and "Trump is Tarifying." Los Angeles County Republican Party Chairman Roxanne Hoge said such demonstrations will have no
Protesters took to the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to denounce Trump administration policies. | Photo courtesy of 50501.inlandempire/Instagram
effect on the Trump administration. "Radical leftists are protesting President Donald Trump with marches and
a parade balloon?" she told City News Service. "Their boring, predictable tantrums are now part of the LA landscape, much like the
dilapidated RVs and dangerous encampments that their policies result in. We are interested in good governance and public safety, and wish our Democrat friends would join us in advocating for both." Speakers expected at Saturday's City Hall rally included actress Jodie Sweetin and comedian Francesa Fiorentini. "We're barely two months into Trump's chaos and the country is reeling from his reckless firing of millions of workers, the breaking up of tens of thousands of families and plans to gut funding to our health care and Social Security," organizer Emily Williams said. "It doesn't matter what your political party is, nearly everyone is being harmed by these punishing decisions and we're here to oppose the destruction of these programs that millions of Americans rely on every day." At least 100 protests and marches were planned throughout the region Saturday, including events in Glendale, Riverside and Santa Ana. Organizations believed to be represented See Protests Page 16
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he Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority CEO announced her resignation Friday, following the LA County Board of Supervisors decision earlier this week to slash millions from the joint city-county agency's budget and reposition hundreds of workers. Va Lecia Adams Kellum is expected to exit her post after a 120-day or longer transition period, according to a letter she sent to LAHSA's Board of Commissioners on Friday afternoon that was first reported by the Los Angeles Times. "I am incredibly proud of LAHSA's talented and dedicated staff and deeply grateful for their tireless work. I thank them and the commission for the opportunity to serve as CEO and for our partnership in reducing homelessness in our region," Adams Kellum said in a statement to City News Service. In her resignation letter, Adams Kellum said “now is the right time for me to resign as CEO" after county supervisors approved a recommendation Tuesday from the 2020 Blue Ribbon
Commission on Homelessness, which calls for shifting key responsibilities from LAHSA. The board advanced a proposal to create its own department to coordinate regional services to address homelessness, which effectively strips LAHSA's funding. The agency has overseen such programs since 1993 but has drawn criticism as the homeless crisis persists. Officials expect to establish the new county homelessness department by Jan. 1, with all funding pulled from LAHSA and transferred to the new department by July 1, 2026, according to Tuesday's motion by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Kathryn Barger. LAHSA has reported unsheltered homelessness is likely to decrease by 5% to 10% for the second year in a row, according to preliminary results from the 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. That would be the second consecutive year the region saw a decrease in unhoused residents after a six-year run of increases. LAHSA is the lead agency that coordinates
See LAHSA CEO Page 16
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