Karen Ruth Bass
Nonpartisan · CA · Mayor of Los Angeles
Karen Bass has been Mayor of Los Angeles since December 2022, when she became the first woman elected to the office by defeating Rick Caruso. A former physician assistant and community organizer who founded the South LA nonprofit Community Coalition, she served in the California State Assembly from 2005 to 2010 — including two years as the first Black woman to be Speaker of any US state legislature — and represented Los Angeles in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2022, chairing the Congressional Black Caucus. Seeking a second term, she finished first in the June 2026 primary with about 34% and faces Councilmember Nithya Raman in the November runoff.
Track record
Government Efficiency
· 1 record
As Speaker of the California Assembly, helped negotiate the February 2009 bipartisan deal with Governor Schwarzenegger closing most of a $42 billion state budget shortfall, for which she received the 2010 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award alongside three other legislative leaders.
May 24, 2010For
Source: en.wikipedia.org · researched July 3, 2026
Public Safety and Crime Control
· 1 record
Principally authored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (H.R. 1280), the police accountability bill that passed the U.S. House 220-212 on March 3, 2021 before stalling in the Senate.
March 3, 2021For
Source: npr.org · researched July 3, 2026
Housing Affordability
· 2 records
Declared a city state of emergency on homelessness on her first day as mayor, issued Executive Directive 1 expediting approval of shelters and 100% affordable housing, and launched the Inside Safe program moving people from encampments into interim housing.
December 12, 2022For
Source: abc7.com · researched July 11, 2026
Declared a city state of emergency on homelessness on her first day as mayor, issued Executive Directive 1 expediting approval of shelters and 100% affordable housing, and launched the Inside Safe program moving people from encampments into interim housing.
December 12, 2022For
Source: abc7.com · researched July 3, 2026
Social Programs and Welfare
· 2 records
Declared a city state of emergency on homelessness on her first day as mayor, issued Executive Directive 1 expediting approval of shelters and 100% affordable housing, and launched the Inside Safe program moving people from encampments into interim housing.
December 12, 2022For
Source: abc7.com · researched July 11, 2026
Declared a city state of emergency on homelessness on her first day as mayor, issued Executive Directive 1 expediting approval of shelters and 100% affordable housing, and launched the Inside Safe program moving people from encampments into interim housing.
December 12, 2022For
Source: abc7.com · researched July 3, 2026
Civil Rights
· 1 record
Principally authored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (H.R. 1280), the police accountability bill that passed the U.S. House 220-212 on March 3, 2021 before stalling in the Senate.
March 3, 2021For
Source: npr.org · researched July 3, 2026
General
· 2 records
Removed Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley from her post on February 21, 2025, six weeks after the Palisades fire killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes, citing the department's readiness and response.
February 21, 2025
Source: apnews.com · researched July 11, 2026
Removed Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley from her post on February 21, 2025, six weeks after the Palisades fire killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes, citing the department's readiness and response.
February 21, 2025
Source: fortune.com · researched July 3, 2026
Integrity and Ethics
· 2 records
Former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley filed legal action against the city and later sued Bass personally for defamation, alleging Bass orchestrated retaliation and shifted blame for the Palisades fire response amid criticism of the mayor's trip to Ghana as the fire broke out; the suits are pending.
February 24, 2026
Source: apnews.com · researched July 11, 2026
Former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley filed legal action against the city and later sued Bass personally for defamation, alleging Bass orchestrated retaliation and shifted blame for the Palisades fire response amid criticism of the mayor's trip to Ghana as the fire broke out; the suits are pending.
February 24, 2026
Source: nbclosangeles.com · researched July 3, 2026
Elections
- Mayor · November 3, 2026 · Los Angeles city, California · incumbent
Profile last researched July 3, 2026.