Judge blasts LA homeless spending as a ‘train wreck’ and threatens to seize control

A frustrated federal judge on Thursday lambasted L.A. city officials for failing to properly track billions in spending on homelessness, and called for a forensic audit to look into potential fraud and waste. He also threatened to appoint a court-ordered receiver to take control of the spending.

At a hearing in downtown L.A., U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter convened a who’s who of top officials, including Mayor Karen Bass, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, L.A. County Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger and City Controller Kenneth Mejia.

The judge focused heavily on a recent audit he oversaw, which found major failures in tracking more than $2 billion of city homelessness spending and holding contractors accountable. It comes after multiple audits over many years with similar findings, according to records Carter showed in court.

“This is a slow train wreck,” Carter told top city and county elected officials.