Mayor Bass Denies $400M LAPD Liability Costs

Bass says, the city would be “bankrupt” if the $384 million in LAPD payout costs were true

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is disputing data from the city’s own controller showing that police misconduct and related claims have cost taxpayers nearly $400 million over the past six years.

During a virtual Immigrants’ Rights town hall on Tuesday, Bass pushed back against a participant who cited the figures, saying the city would be “bankrupt” if that number were accurate.

The data — first reported by L.A. Public Press — comes from an online dashboard published by Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia’s office. It shows that between September 2019 and September 2025, police-related lawsuits and claims have cost the city $384 million.

According to the controller’s data, civil rights violations, police shootings, excessive use of force, and illegal searches accounted for nearly half of all payouts — about $183 million. Another 23% stemmed from traffic collisions, while 17% were related to labor and employment disputes.

Town Hall Confrontation

During the virtual town hall, participant Catie Laffoon questioned Bass directly about the liability costs, asking what steps the mayor would take to hold LAPD accountable for what she called “a pattern of excessive force against protesters.”

“There’s currently no incentive for the department or officers to hold one another accountable,” Laffoon said. “These massive settlements are paid using taxpayer dollars, not the LAPD’s budget.”

Bass interrupted mid-question, saying the participant must be mistaken.

“If that figure were true,” Bass said, “we would be bankrupt.”

While the mayor acknowledged that the city’s liabilities related to LAPD use of force are “extremely high” and need to be addressed, she offered a different explanation for the numbers.

“You might be interested to know,” she told the audience, “that the majority of the lawsuits are LAPD suing LAPD.”

However, Mejia’s office disputes that characterization. According to the controller’s publicly available dataset, labor and employment cases — which would include lawsuits filed by officers against the department — make up less than 100 of nearly 2,000 claims, totaling roughly $65 million.

When Laffoon clarified that her question was based on the controller’s own data, Bass responded, “That’s not accurate. I’ll talk with him.”

Virtual Town Hall with Mayor Karen Bass and LAPD Deputy Chief Emada Tingirides

Activists Unconvinced

Laffoon and several activists who helped organize the town hall said afterward that they were dissatisfied with the mayor’s response.

“We asked for accountability and transparency,” Laffoon said. “Instead, we got deflection.”

Tuesday’s exchange was one of several tense moments during the two-hour virtual meeting, which drew more than 400 participants and covered topics ranging from LAPD’s cooperation with federal immigration agencies to alleged excessive force during protests.

As previously reported, activists have been calling for the removal of Police Chief Jim McDonnell, accusing the department of working with ICE in violation of the city’s sanctuary ordinance. Bass has publicly stated that she has reviewed video evidence of LAPD’s use of force and has raised concerns internally but does not believe McDonnell’s tenure warrants removal.

The liability costs — now under scrutiny — appear to add to a growing list of questions about the department’s accountability, transparency, and use of taxpayer funds.

The mayor’s office has not provided further clarification on her comments about the controller’s data.

Grassroots organizers and members of the press have also been asking the mayor’s office to release the full recording of the virtual town hall, which was recorded by city staff. Despite repeated requests, no video has been made publicly available. My team and I searched city websites and social media platforms but could not locate the recording. Organizers say they have contacted the mayor’s office multiple times asking for a link or update, but have not received any response or information.