Mayor Karen Bass asked the Los Angeles City Council to restore $2 million for cleaning up abandoned properties citywide.

Bass sent a letter to Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and all council members on Wednesday, Sept. 2, days after a fire broke out at an abandoned property in Studio City that neighbors had flagged for months. She had included $2 million for vacant and nuisance lots in her proposed fiscal year 2026-27 budget, but the council removed it during budget deliberations and approved a revised spending plan in May, according to MyNewsLA.

The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety (LADBS) has identified more than 100 priority vacant nuisance buildings citywide, Bass said in the letter.

The fire that prompted the push broke out the week of Aug. 25 at 4343 N. Babcock Ave. in Studio City, Westside Current reported. Neighbors had complained about the abandoned property before the blaze. Bass visited the site afterward, directed LADBS to pursue a lien against the property owner to recover cleanup costs and called for legal action, according to the mayor's office.

Cleanup crews cleared debris and trimmed overgrown trees on Babcock Avenue. Workers were installing a permanent fence around the lot to keep people from entering again, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles.

The fire also exposed a rift between Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman, who represents the Fourth Council District, which includes Studio City. Raman said her office had flagged the Babcock Avenue property to the mayor's office as a priority nuisance site 10 months before the fire. "My office repeatedly contacted city departments, identified this property directly to the Mayor's office as a priority nuisance site 10 months ago and continued escalating the case repeatedly before the fire," Raman said, according to Fox 11.

Bass acknowledged Raman's office had notified hers about the location but said Raman never explicitly asked for direct assistance in addressing it. The property owner could not be reached for comment, Fox 11 reported.

A second property on Laurelgrove Avenue in Studio City, owned by the same person, has also drawn squatters and unhoused individuals, a resident named Nestor said at a Raman press conference.

Earlier in 2026, the council approved changes to the city's nuisance-abatement laws, proposed by Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez and signed by Bass. The new rules shortened the time to begin abatement from 30 days to 15 and the time to complete work from 90 days to 45. They also expanded the city's authority to recover costs from property owners.

Bass said her office and LADBS are exploring additional ways to strengthen enforcement and allow the city to intervene more quickly at problem properties. No vote date has been set. Residents can contact their council member's office to weigh in on the $2 million request.