A veteran Democrat who has vowed to work towards alleviating homelessness and quelling racial tensions has become the first woman elected mayor of Los Angeles.
Karen Bass clinched the win against Rick Caruso, a billionaire real estate tycoon who funded most of his $100 million campaign. The race was called more than one week after Election Day as city officials said it was too close to call. On Wednesday, the Associated Press confirmed that Bass won 53 percent of the vote.
“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.
“There will be more to come from the movement we built, but for now as a city we need to unite around Mayor-elect Bass and give her the support she needs to tackle the many issues we face,” said Caruso following the mayor’s win.
