Karen Bass made history as Los Angeles’ first female mayor after a career dedicated to community service and political engagement. Her tenure began amid challenges, including criticism over her response to devastating fires while abroad. Despite facing scrutiny for budget cuts to the Fire Department, she has vowed to rebuild and innovate. With support from President Biden and the backdrop of upcoming elections, Bass navigates a complex landscape as she prepares for the city’s future, including the 2028 Olympics.
Karen Bass: A Trailblazer in Los Angeles Politics
Before making history as the first female mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass captured national media attention in the summer of 2016. After her election to the House of Representatives, she, a graduate in health sciences from the University of California, called for a psychiatric evaluation of the then-Republican candidate Donald Trump, citing his ‘lack of emotional control’ as a potential threat to the nation. Now, amidst raging fires, she finds herself facing scrutiny from supporters of the current president.
A Lifelong Commitment to Community and Change
At 71 years old, Karen Bass has devoted nearly her entire life to Los Angeles, the vibrant city of her upbringing in the diverse Fairfax neighborhood of the 1960s. Inspired by the civil rights movement, she volunteered for Robert Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign and immersed herself in pro-Cuban initiatives during the 1970s, making eight visits to the island. While pursuing her medical career and studying philosophy, she remained deeply engaged in her community.
In the 1990s, she founded the Community Coalition, an organization dedicated to enhancing the social and economic conditions of underprivileged neighborhoods in South Los Angeles, which faced challenges like crime and addiction. This commitment laid the groundwork for her political journey, leading her to the California State Legislature in 2008 and earning her six consecutive terms in the House of Representatives from 2010 onward.
In 2020, her distinctive background caught the attention of Joe Biden, who was in search of a vice-presidential candidate. Although Bass was on his shortlist, Biden ultimately chose Kamala Harris, a fellow Californian and someone Bass knows well. Two years later, Harris would lend her full support to Bass as she campaigned for mayor of her beloved city.
On November 8, 2022, Bass triumphed over billionaire developer Rick Caruso, securing 52.5% of the vote. This historic victory made her the first female mayor of Los Angeles and just the second black mayor after Tom Bradley, who served from 1973 to 1993. The challenges ahead are daunting, with a city where the glamour of Hollywood exists alongside rising poverty rates.
“I promise you that we will be operational from day one,” she proclaimed on election night. However, these words have recently come back to haunt her. As the devastating fires swept through Los Angeles, Bass was abroad in Ghana, part of a presidential delegation for the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama.
Upon her return on January 8, a SkyNews journalist confronted her, asking, “Do you owe an apology to the citizens for being absent while their homes were burning?” The seasoned mayor appeared momentarily taken aback, as shown in a widely circulated video. She also faced criticism regarding a $17 million budget cut to the Los Angeles Fire Department, a decision made in the summer of 2024, which has sparked further controversy despite a planned increase in salaries and benefits.
In a December memo, Fire Chief Kristen Crowley noted that this budget reduction had somewhat impaired the department’s operational capacity, an assertion that has been echoed in recent media appearances, providing ammunition to Bass’s political adversaries, including Elon Musk, who labeled her “totally incompetent” in a post that attracted 26.5 million views on social media.
In the past day, Bass has actively engaged with the community, making several public appearances shared widely online. During a press conference on Friday, she vowed to “fiercely rebuild” once the fires are contained, emphasizing the need to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles. “We will shake up the system and move forward with new strategies and new policies,” she asserted.
As she embarks on this critical mission, Bass has received crucial support from President Biden, who recently promised federal funding for California’s emergency expenses over the next 180 days. The looming question remains: what will transpire after January 20 with the inauguration of Donald Trump? While it is likely that the new president may not reverse his predecessor’s commitments, Bass, along with Governor Gavin Newsom, understands that Trump will likely leverage every opportunity to challenge her in the upcoming 2026 local elections.
Amidst the preparations for the 2028 Olympics—she was present at the Stade de France during the closing of the Paralympic Games last summer—Bass is acutely aware of the scrutiny she faces in the weeks ahead. Notably, California’s Democratic stronghold is not as secure as it once was; in the 2020 election, Biden won with 64.62% of the vote against Trump, while Kamala Harris received only 58.5% in the recent November elections.