Politics and Current
Rep. Karen Bass is running for mayor of Los Angeles
Photo: Alex Wong
Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) yes announced will run for mayor of Los Angeles. If her candidacy is successful, the Democrat will change into the town’s first black mayor.
“Our city is facing a public health, safety and economic crisis related to homelessness that has turned into a humanitarian crisis,” Bass said in a press release provided to ESSENCE. “I even have spent my life bringing groups of people together into coalitions to unravel complex problems and create tangible change – especially in times of crisis. Los Angeles is my home. I’m ready with all my heart. Let’s do that together.
In November 2020, Bass was re-elected to a sixth term representing the thirty seventh Congressional District. In 2019 and 2020, she served as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).
Bass currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chairing the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Global Human Rights. He also serves on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism.
Among the laws introduced by Bass is the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed the House twice but has since stalled after negotiations broke down within the Senate.
Bass grew up within the Venice/Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles. She is a graduate of Cal State Dominguez Hills, the Physician Assistant Program on the University of Southern California School of Medicine, and the USC Master of Social Work program. Prior to Congress, she worked as a nurse, physician assistant and clinical instructor. As an organizer, she founded the Community Coalition, a well known nonprofit organization in Los Angeles, and has long been an advocate for children in foster care.
Prior to her term in Congress, Bass served within the California State Assembly. In 2008, she became the primary African American woman in U.S. history to function speaker of any state.
Los Angeles has only ever had one black mayor. Tom Bradley was the thirty eighth mayor of Los Angeles from 1973 to 1993. So far, Bass has not yet announced whether she’s going to resign from Congress during her campaign for mayor of Los Angeles.