(KTLA) — A Southern California mayor facing a recall effort is coming under fire after his suggestion to ending his city’s homelessness issue was “giving them all the fentanyl they want.” The comments were made by longtime Lancaster Mayor Rex Parris during a city council meeting on Feb. 25. The comments have surfaced in recent days since he gave an interview to Fox 11 this week, where he doubled down on the sentiment.
During the February meeting, a speaker during the public comment portion wanted to speak to Parris about the homelessness crisis within the city of Lancaster. Her claim was that Parris wants to “lump” the city’s homeless population in one singular encampment in the city, which she took issue with.
Parris response was to do something even more severe than that.
“What I want to do is give them free fentanyl,” he said. “That’s what I want to do.”
When asked to repeat what he said, Parris reiterated, “I want to give them all the fentanyl they want.”
“That was not kind,” the speaker said.
The implication that Parris wants to give homeless people an illegal drug that kills thousands of Californians per year comes as some within his city are growing tired of his antics. According to the Antelope Valley Press, Lancaster’s city clerk is currently suing former political opponents of Parris “due to false and/or misleading information in the notice of intent to circulate a recall petition and failure to comply with state Election Code.”
That allegation comes as those political opponents, who lost to Parris in the city’s mayoral election last year, are attempting to recall him.
“For too long, Mayor R. Rex Parris has prioritized personal gain over the well-being of residents. His administration has been marked by mismanagement, controversial policies, and a disregard for transparency,” a portion of recall-rex.com reads.
The organizers pinpoint the decision by Parris to extend mayoral terms from 2 years to 4 as an example of “manipulating the democratic process.”
Parris’s 2024 election victory was his sixth.