Incoming Los Angeles Mayor Nithya Raman has pledged to reduce homelessness by at least 50 percent before the 2028 Summer Olympics, a centerpiece of her campaign that signals how the crisis will define her tenure.

Raman, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, plans to expand shelter and housing options while maximizing the impact of available funding. Her approach includes deploying medical teams directly into encampments to deliver mental health and addiction treatment, along with assistance for transitioning residents into stable housing.

But business leaders in Los Angeles are skeptical the plan will work. John Alle, a business owner and co-founder of the Santa Monica Coalition, told Fox News Digital the city cannot "hide" the homelessness problem from Olympic visitors. He warned that Raman's approach might amount to a temporary fix—moving homeless individuals off streets during the Games only to see them return afterward.

"When the Olympics come, they'll be picked up, they'll be bused, they'll be sent elsewhere, and they'll wander right back after the three-week Olympic and Paralympic events," Alle said.

Alle pointed to declining tourism, reduced general fund revenue, and falling retail sales taxes as evidence the city's approach is failing. He also cited attacks on tourists in Santa Monica and Los Angeles, along with declining police morale, as signs of disorder that Raman's plan does not address.

Raman has previously characterized the city's "desensitization to homelessness" as a "moral failing." Her plan also aims to eliminate long-term encampments throughout the city by expanding housing, shelter capacity, and rental assistance programs.

The timing of Raman's pledge comes as the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority's 2026 annual count showed a 3.4 percent increase in homelessness in Los Angeles pro reversing two consecutive years of declines under former Mayor Karen Bass. Across the broader LA area, homelessness rose 1.2 percent.

Los Angeles will host the Summer Olympics for the first time since 1984.