Karen Bass was recently sworn in as Los Angeles’ first female mayor, making her career history once more.
At Los Angeles City Hall, Kamala Harris, the first woman and the first person of color to hold the post of vice president administered the oath of office.
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Bass announced Sunday that her first official act as mayor will be to proclaim a state of emergency on homelessness. She centered her speech on how she planned to address the city’s housing issue, which has led to some 40,000 people living on the streets.
Bass stated, “Today, too many Angelenos have no choice but to crowd multiple families into one home, and to work multiple jobs just to barely pay rent.”
“Tragically, our city has earned the shameful crown as being home to the most crowded neighborhoods in the nation – Pico-Union, South L.A., East L.A., the East Valley,” she remarked. “And Angelenos, we know our mission – we must build housing in every neighborhood.”
Even though the state, city, and county are spending billions of dollars on temporary and permanent housing, progress has been slow. According to the most recent count, there was a 1.7% increase in homelessness from the 2020 count.
By the end of a year, Bass’ plan aims for sheltering 15,000 people and putting a stop to tent encampments. She stated that in order to link individuals with housing and mental health assistance, the city will devote additional funds to specialized “neighborhood service teams.”
The six-term congresswoman has stated that additional money for Los Angeles to solve the city’s housing issue will result from her longstanding connections with local, state, and federal officials.
Additionally, Bass has pledged to use her contacts in the Biden administration to find solutions to issues like the shortage of federal housing vouchers. She has said that if elected mayor, she will also work to obtain federal waivers that will enable the construction of centers for substance misuse and mental illness that have more beds.
Because of her pledge to increase police manpower at a time when the city has struggled to find new officers, Bass, whose home was broken into earlier this year during the
campaign, has also promised to address concerns about crime. She has suggested returning at least 250 police officers from administrative duties to patrol, and she has stated that she would recruit additional civilian staff members to free up more cops to return to patrol.
Rick Caruso, a real estate tycoon, waged a costly campaign to unseat Bass in November and faced off against her head-on. Eric Garcetti, whose time as mayor is over, will be succeeded by her.
Bass, who was chosen to serve in the California State Assembly in 2004, made history by becoming the first Black woman to lead a state legislature as speaker.
Eric Adams of New York City, Lori Lightfoot of Chicago, and Sylvester Turner of Houston are among the four biggest cities in the US that will all have Black mayors when Bass assumes office.
