Federal drug raid near downtown Los Angeles spotlights public safety concerns during mayor’s race

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A major federal raid around a park near downtown Los Angeles long known for rampant drug use and homeless encampments came just as voting kicked off for mayor in a city where public safety concerns continue to vex residents.

During a difficult first term framed by the most destructive wildfire in city history and its aftermath, Democratic Mayor Karen Bass has been trying to convince the city council to accelerate police hiring as she seeks a second, four-year term. The primary election ends June 2.

Wednesday’s raid resulted in 18 arrests and targeted fentanyl and methamphetamine distribution in and around MacArthur Park, located in a densely populated immigrant neighborhood west of downtown. It came after years of complaints from residents about crime, drug use and gang activity in the area.

City Hall has been under pressure to suspend a needle giveaway program at the park that has been blamed by some for sustaining the neighborhood’s problems, not solving them. Such programs provide drug users with clean needles with the goal of preventing transmission of HIV or other infections.

During a Wednesday debate, Bass signaled she would end the program at the park, placing her in agreement with rival Spencer Pratt, a Republican, who said he wanted a citywide ban on needle exchanges. Another candidate, Democratic City Councilmember Nithya Raman, said she would retain the program.

Bass spokesperson Paige Sterling said in a statement, “We are actively reviewing these programs citywide and recognize that many of them are operating alongside other valuable services.”

Police statistics show property and violent crime are down this year in the city compared to 2025.

“No matter what these crime statistics are telling anybody, it’s not how people feel on the street,” Pratt said.

During the debate, Bass said, “We can’t keep LA safe with the size of the department we have now.”

Safety issues spur concerns about city police department

Safety issues extend beyond the parochial. World Cup games begin in Southern California next month, and Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympics. The federal government spearheads security at the Olympics, but there are already concerns the Los Angeles Police Department will not have adequate funding or personnel to hold up its end of the job.

President Donald Trump has long had a strained relationship with heavily Democratic California. In 2019, he threatened to intercede in the state’s homeless crisis but never followed through. California is home to the so-called Trump resistance and Trump often depicts California as representing all that he sees wrong in America.

Los Angeles, in particular, has been a target of the administration’s criticism. Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to the city last summer against Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wishes in response to protests after immigration raids across the region. A new federal anti-fraud task force has targeted Los Angeles over widespread hospice fraud, though Newsom says his administration has long been addressing the problem.

This week’s drug raid was a rare federal-and-local effort

But federal authorities did team up with the LAPD in the drug raid.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, a Trump administration appointee, said in a statement that authorities were “reclaiming MacArthur Park from criminals and drug addicts to return this public space to the citizens.” Bass said the operation had been planned for “many months.” Pratt said he welcomed greater federal involvement, praising the joint raid as “unbelievable.”

The mayor’s race in the city of nearly 4 million has been playing out at a challenging time, with longstanding complaints about homelessness, buckled streets and sidewalks, and climbing rents and home prices. Population in the once-booming region is falling — Los Angeles County lost about 54,000 people from July 2024 to July 2025, the largest numeric population drop for a county in the nation, according to federal figures.

As a candidate four years ago, Bass talked of expanding the police department. But its ranks have spiraled downward from a high of 10,000 sworn personnel in 2020 to roughly 8,700.

Bass points to figures showing her office has reduced the homeless population, but sagging tent encampments and lines of rusting RVs remain commonplace sights in much of the city.

The contest in heavily Democratic LA — which also includes tech entrepreneur Adam Miller and community activist Rae Huang — bears some similarity to the 2022 race, when billionaire developer Rick Caruso promised to expand spending on police amid widespread concerns over crime and homelessness. Bass comfortably won.

Norm Langer, owner of Langer’s Delicatessen across from the park, had considered closing the iconic restaurant because of drug use and encampments that he said were driving away business.

He told reporters Wednesday he was “absolutely thrilled” with the federal raid but also appeared to question Bass’ commitment to ending the needle giveaway at the park.

The program, he said, is “prolonging these people getting help.”

John Alle, who owns the restaurant building, said the LAPD had cut patrols in the park.

“We’ve got a day or two where we don’t have MacArthur Park patrolled. And we’re suffering the consequences,” Alle said. “The crime has not gone down.”

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Associated Press journalist Eugene Garcia contributed.