A scheduled vote to determine the future administration of homeless services in Los Angeles was canceled Friday after more than 1,500 people attempted to participate, overwhelming the meeting’s online capacity. The meeting of the Los Angeles Continuum of Care (CoC) board, which was tasked with selecting an agency to replace the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) in managing key homelessness functions, had a Zoom limit of 1,000 participants. Unable to accommodate the surge, board officials called off the vote, citing the need to ensure full participation.

The extraordinary turnout was driven by Mayor Karen Bass, who mobilized supporters via communications channels to join the meeting and oppose the board’s recommendation that Los Angeles County assume the core duties previously handled by LAHSA. Despite the large virtual presence, the board’s attorney, Shayla Myers, announced the meeting’s cancellation from the downtown meeting room, where some members had gathered in person.

The Continuum of Care board later issued a statement explaining the postponement was necessary due to the “unexpectedly high number of individuals who joined the online meeting,” and pledged to upgrade the technological capacity for a future vote. A new date has not yet been set.

The interruption deepens an ongoing crisis surrounding LAHSA’s federally mandated functions, including the annual homelessness count, the centralized database documenting service interactions with homeless individuals, the matching system determining housing placements, and the submission of federal funding applications. The crisis was triggered in June when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) suspended LAHSA from these duties, citing concerns of mismanagement and possible fraud. HUD directed local service providers to apply for funding directly, a move LAHSA challenged in court.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter temporarily stayed the suspension, keeping LAHSA in place while ordering the CoC to select a replacement agency within 60 days. The judge’s ruling affirmed that the CoC—not LAHSA itself—holds statutory authority over the designation of the administering agency. The CoC was set to report recommendations on Oct. 27.

The CoC board, which includes representatives from homeless services contractors, engaged outside consultants to conduct an emergency procurement process. The City of Los Angeles applied to oversee two of LAHSA’s functions but scored lower than the county, which applied for all four and was ultimately recommended to take over the responsibilities.

Critics have pointed to the board’s inability to manage the unprecedented turnout, with Mayor Bass and four City Council members decrying the cancellation as disenfranchisement of Angelenos eager to weigh in on homelessness policy. Their joint statement emphasized the need for transparency and collaboration to effectively address homelessness.

Conversely, Ben Kay, chair of the CoC board, argued the board could not have anticipated the mayor and City Council’s extensive mobilization of public support against the recommendation. Kay suggested blaming the CoC for not planning accordingly “plays directly into the hands of HUD,” which initially constrained local control over homelessness services.

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, representing the county, criticized the meeting’s failure as damaging to public trust but reaffirmed the county’s willingness to engage with all cities within the county to address concerns. She also assured that the City of Los Angeles would retain access to critical systems managing homeless services under any new arrangement.

The CoC board is now working to enhance its online meeting platform and has yet to announce when the vote will be rescheduled, prolonging uncertainty amid a vital transition in Los Angeles’s management of its homelessness response system.