LA Democrat sounds alarm about homelessness, crime before Super Bowl LVI: 'A disaster and an embarrassment'

Former police officer Joe Buscaino on the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles ahead of Super Bowl LVI.

Los Angeles Democrat city councilman Joe Buscaino said Tuesday that the homelessness crisis is a "disaster" as officials try to address the problem in advance of the massive crowds that will arrive for Super Bowl LVI.

"It shouldn’t take a Super Bowl to connect people to services and clean our streets. We need leaders that address the homelessness crisis 24/7, 364 days out of the year," the L.A. mayoral candidate told "Fox & Friends."

Buscaino, a former police officer, vowed to take the homelessness issue to the ballot, arguing the problem needs a "FEMA-like response."

"We are going to have some benchmarks. If council members, mayor, city attorney don’t meet certain benchmarks by connecting people to housing and services, we will dock their pay," he told host Steve Doocy.

LA COUNCILMAN PROPOSES PAY CUT FOR ELECTED LEADERS IF HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS ARE NOT BANNED

FILE - In this March 24, 2021, file photo a woman eats at her tent at the Echo Park homeless encampment at Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles.

Buscaino submitted a proposed ballot measure that would reduce the salaries of city officials if the pervasive issue of homelessness is not sufficiently addressed in the city. 

"We have an emergency situation playing out on our streets, and this ballot measure offers an all-of-the-above approach to addressing it,'' Buscaino said, according to CNS. 

FILE - This is a general overall interior view of SoFi Stadium as the Los Angeles Rams takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)

Under Buscaino’s plan, homeless encampments in LA would be