Congresswoman Karen Bass Announces Bid for Los Angeles Mayor

(Bloomberg) -- Karen Bass, a six-term congresswoman representing South Central Los Angeles, announced that she’s running for mayor of America’s second-largest city.

Bass, who started out as a community activist, previously worked in the state legislature, where she was the first African-American woman to serve as speaker of the California Assembly. In the U.S. House of Representatives she is chair of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Global Human Rights.

“Our city is facing a public health, safety and economic crisis in homelessness that has evolved into a humanitarian emergency,” Bass said in a statement on Monday declaring her bid. “I’ve spent my entire life bringing groups of people together in coalitions to solve complex problems and produce concrete change -- especially in times of crisis.”

Bass is the most-prominent candidate yet to enter the race to replace Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who cannot serve past his current term through January 2023. Garcetti has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as U.S. ambassador to India. He’s awaiting Senate confirmation.

Candidates will be campaigning at a time of some turmoil. Los Angeles is wrestling with the spread of the delta variant of Covid-19, though cases have been recently falling, and a persistent homeless crisis that has tens of thousands of people living in parks and under highway overpasses.

L.A.’s local primary is in June 2022 and the general election will follow in November. Other declared candidates included city councilmen Kevin de Leon and Joe Busciano, and city attorney Mike Feuer.

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