U.S. Rep. Karen Bass is officially the mayor of Los Angeles, a feat that makes her the first woman to do so. Her victory also makes her the second person of African descent to step in the post — Mayor Tom Bradley was the first, holding the position for nearly two decades. The mayor-elect will replace Mayor Eric Garcetti.
The California native marched toward the finishing line of an intense race against developer and former Republican, Rick Caruso, 63. Bass earned 53.1% of the votes at 403,427, with Caruso trailing at a telling 46.9% or 356,849. Bass didn’t take Caruso’s run-for-the-money lightly.
“The people of Los Angeles have sent a clear message,” Bass said in a statement after her win was announced. “It is time for change and it is time for urgency.”
Bass, 69, intends to “hit the ground running,” first tackling the issue with homelessness. Her next endeavor will be to mitigate crime in the City of Angels. Job allocation and affordable housing are also agendas on Bass’ list of things to work out.
The votes are still being counted as a little bit less than one-fourth of the votes have yet to be accounted for, but Bass still has an overwhelming lead that surpasses nearly 50,000 votes in her favor, according to projections from the Associated Press.
