Bass Makes Top Brass
Emerging victorious out of two mayoral candidates, Karen Bass became the first woman and second Black person to be sworn in as the Los Angeles mayor. On Sunday, Dec. 11, Bass shook the hand of Vice President Kamala Harris, making history as she became officially recognized as the 43rd mayor of LA (New York Times). With six years of experience as a member of the 47th California State Assembly, supporters expect Bass to excel in her new position and eventually even assume the nation’s vice presidency. With her mayoral responsibilities assumed almost two months ago, Bass and her promises to LA will likely be carefully monitored by both her supporters and opposers before the end of her four-year term.
Before earning the title of LA mayor, Bass served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2010. Many think that Bass will be the one to solve LA’s most prominent issues, since she has been consistently active in providing for residents of the city. So far, Bass has worked with the City Council to fund pandemic relief services, housing assistance programs and economic relief to LA small businesses as well as those seeking work (The Clerk). Since Bass is a Californian Democrat in a prominently Democratic environment, many LA residents who identify with that party hope to feel more significant changes in their communities with Bass in charge. Senior Charlotte Chiang relays the principles of Bass’s plan in her recent political work.
“One aspect of Bass’s political career I found extremely admirable were her efforts in providing resources back to minority communities during times of distress,” Chiang said. “We saw her do incredible work during the pandemic when she managed to provide not only physical resources such as vaccines, but also financial ones like funding.”
Recognized by many as a passionate advocate for social justice, Bass’ political career transcends her former position as Congresswoman and current role as LA mayor. In the early 1990s, Bass founded the Community Coalition with the goal of supporting those suffering from effects of the drug-induced health crisis (LA Times). Additionally, during the 1994 protest against California’s Three Strikes law, a regulation that imposes greater punishment for crimes committed by individuals who have been convicted of more extreme felonies in the past, Bass announced to news reporters how the policy racially targets Black and Latino individuals and focuses on keeping them in prison (The Guardian). Bass’ drive for social reform carried into her recent political career with her emphasis on ending the homelessness crisis and the need for more accessible means of commute.
However, others argue that Bass’ political rivals are more capable of repairing LA’s rough spots than her. One rival of Bass is Rick Caruso, the runner-up for the role as LA mayor, and founder of Caruso Affiliated. While Caruso received a voting percentage of 45.2%, Bass won the race by 89,144 votes. Despite Caruso and his recognized acts of charity and commitment to supporting LA, others think that Bass held the advantage of having more connections and government experience as a former Congresswoman and founder of Community Coalition (National Broadcasting Company). Caruso also had connections as an award-winning contributor to organizations providing more water to the city, protecting the environment and aiding the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). As president of the Police Commission in 2001, he significantly reduced the city’s crime rates by cooperating with officers at LAPD as well as city leadership and community leaders. In the end, Caruso’s contributions for the city’s reform did not successfully defend his mayoral campaign, which promised to decrease homelessness and put a halt to gun violence if he were to be elected. Junior Edward Lin compares both campaigns on their eligibility and how effective they would be in rehabilitating LA communities as a whole.
“Caruso’s plan [said he would] declare a state of emergency on his first day, appoint a citywide homelessness coordinator, institute accountability and issue an audit to end waste,” Lin said. “He would build 30,000 shelter beds in 300 days while implementing construction of additional long-term affordable housing. This plan would cost around $800 million in the first year without including the operating costs. I believe that Bass’ plan is better because it forces our government to work together for a solution rather than the disorganized sections working by themselves.”
Despite the close race against Caruso, Bass was the candidate who came out on top. With pressure being applied citywide on her to sufficiently improve the lives of homeless people and supply them with stable housing, Bass has begun to collaborate with the Biden administration to provide immediate change. The outcome of the LA mayoral election has created high expectations for the victor, and it can also be viewed as an opportunity to display the power of democracy. Junior Michelle Batbayar shares specific qualities voters most likely looked out for while electing the former candidates.
“When I think of the most important aspects of a mayor, what comes to mind is their ability to provide to the public what they promised in their campaign — how likely they are to follow up on their city plans,” Batbayar said. “Whether that is helping LA’s underprivileged communities acquire better healthcare and education or making sure proper sanitation services are properly installed throughout the city, a good mayor follows through with their campaign’s message and does more than leaving promises to city residents unfulfilled.”
