California taxpayers have shown repeatedly that they are willing to spend money to address homelessness. What they are increasingly unwilling to accept is spending billions while accountability seems optional for the people managing the money.

A recent Los Angeles Times investigation offers a striking example. Carol Adelkoff, CEO of the 1736 Family Crisis Center, received more than $1.6 million in salary, vacation pay and other compensation over two years while overseeing the Southern California nonprofit from Hawaii. The organization receives roughly 94% of its revenue from taxpayer dollars and has received at least $25 million in grants from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority since 2021. (Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles Times notes that much of the extraordinary compensation came from decades of unused vacation time. But that explanation raises another question: Who approved a system that allowed one executive to accumulate an estimated $824,000 in vacation payouts?

It helps to have friends in high places.

Meanwhile, taxpayers have already made an enormous investment. California allocated nearly $24 billion to homelessness and housing affordability programs over five fiscal years, according to the State Auditor, which has also criticized the state’s ability to adequately evaluate the cost-effectiveness of billions in homelessness spending.

And Los Angeles is hardly declaring victory. The 2026 homeless count estimated 73,040 people experiencing homelessness across the region, up 1.2%, while the City of Los Angeles saw a 3.4% increase. Unsheltered homelessness in the city climbed 7.9%.

That is why stories like this infuriate taxpayers.

People understand that solving homelessness costs money. They will support shelters, housing, treatment, and programs that produce results. What they do not want is to finance a system where insiders appear to benefit while the crisis continues outside their windows.

The problem isn’t necessarily spending money.

It’s spending enormous amounts of it without demanding enough accountability for where it goes and what taxpayers get in return.