Newly-elected mayor Karen Bass will begin her term in Los Angeles Monday and Vice President Kamala Harris has been scheduled to make an appearance at her inauguration and will swear Bass in during a ceremony Sunday.
Both Bass and Harris made history by being the first Black women to serve in their current roles.
During Bass’ campaign, President Joe Biden and Harris endorsed the candidate, who was a former representative for California’s 37th congressional district.
“We are endorsing Karen Bass for Los Angeles Mayor because we are eager to continue to partner with her on innovative strategies to reduce homelessness and increase public safety and prosperity,” they said in a joint statement.
Bass is a veteran Democrat who has vowed to work towards alleviating homelessness and quelling racial tensions. She clinched the mayoral win against Rick Caruso, a billionaire real estate tycoon who funded most of his $100 million campaign.
“The people of Los Angeles have sent a clear message,” Ms. Bass said in a statement. “It is time for change and it is time for urgency.”
Her historic win won’t leave much time to celebrate – the watershed moment comes on the heels of economic depravity, rising violence and a pandemic that has upended the city. In numerous polls, many residents have expressed frustration at the excessive homelessness that has plagued the California metropolis.
The 69-year-old, whose home was raided last year, said she acknowledged how angry the people of Los Angeles has become. “That’s what is frightening to me now — the anger,” she said. “And my concern is the direction the anger can move the city in.”
She has vowed to find housing for 17,000 homeless people during her first year in office and says she will hire more police officers to counter violence.
Her resume includes many years of coalition building, including acquiring a federal grant to launch a nonprofit called The Community Coalition for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment, an initiative created to address the city’s crack epidemic.
