Karen Bass Sworn in as the First Woman Mayor of Los Angeles
When life is hard for some Angelenos, it affects all Angelenos.
On Sunday, December 11, 2022, Karen Bass was officially sworn in as the first woman elected to the office of mayor in the city of Los Angeles, California. The swearing in ceremony was led by none other than Vice President Kamala Harris, who is the first woman to serve as Vice President of the United States of America.
During her speech, Mayor Bass announced that her first act as the city’s new mayor would be to pay a visit to the emergency operations centres of Los Angeles and declare a state of emergency on homelessness in Los Angeles. “When life is hard for some Angelenos,” she said, “it affects all Angelenos.”
“My emergency declaration will recognise the severity of our crisis, and break new ground to maximise our ability to urgently move people inside, and to do so for good.”
Mayor Bass is intent on navigating the city out of the extreme challenges of homelessness that it has been facing for years on end. According to the New York Times, out of the approximately 69,000 homeless people living in Los Angeles, 17,000 of them are to be housed within the first year of Mayor Bass’s term.
Another promise made by the mayor was to increase the presence of law enforcement throughout the city. In September of this year, the Los Angeles Times reported that two men were arrested and charged with burglary after breaking into the politician’s home.
It was a hard fought race won by Bass, who has been in politics for nearly 20 years, starting with the California State Assembly in 2005, serving on various different law making committees from 2011 to 2022, and as a congresswoman representing California’s 37th district since 2013. She won against billionaire real estate developer, Rick Caruso in a race so close to call that uncertainty loomed for a week after the election took place as each ballot was being accounted for.
At 69 years old, Karen Bass started a new chapter in her life, and the life of the city of Los Angeles, as she assumes the role of the city’s 43rd chief executive. Not only has she made history as the first woman to become mayor in Los Angeles, she is also the second Black person to have ever been elected to this office. In our review of this remarkable feat, we took some time to reflect on a few universal core competencies that Mayor Bass has displayed throughout her career, and that are of high visibility and significance today.
Mayor Karen Bass x Universal Core Competencies
Empathy – One's capacity for observing, understanding and actively sharing the feelings and perspectives of others. (The Academic Glossary)
“When life is hard for some Angelenos, it affects all Angelenos.” Mayor Bass has been very vocal and very clear about her position on the issue of homelessness. In her statement, she demonstrates an awareness of how the plight of the homeless is not merely isolated to those who are without homes, but that it actually impacts the lives of all citizens living in Los Angeles.
Competitiveness – One's capacity for developing and maintaining skills and competencies that are objectively superior to those of one's peers. (The Academic Glossary)
It was a narrow race for many reasons. The city’s population alone (more than three million) sheds light on just how big the audience of Los Angeles really is, and paints a picture of how strong the conviction of one’s message must be in order to produce a winning vote in the end. Until a week after the election, it was still deemed as too close to call.
Urgency – One's capacity for taking immediate action. (The Academic Glossary)
Just after she was sworn in as the city’s 43rd chief executive, Mayor Bass vowed her first act as mayor would be to declare homelessness in the city of Los Angeles as a state of emergency. Citizens have felt hopeless and unsure on whether or not real action would ever be taken to address this issue, and if Mayor Bass comes through on her promise, the city is bound to see a dramatic and very real sense of change.
Watch the swearing in of Mayor Karen Bass, led by US Vice President Kamala Harris below.
KH: “I, Karen Ruth Bass”
KB: I, Karen Ruth Bass
KH: “Do solemnly swear”
KB: Do solemnly swear
KH: “That I will support the Constitution of the United States.”
KB: That I will support the Constitution of the United States.
KH: “The Constitution of the State of California.”
KB: The Constitution of the State of California.
KH: “And the Charter of the City of Los Angeles.”
KB: And the Charter of the City of Los Angeles.
KH: “And that I will faithfully discharge the duties”
KB: And that I will faithfully discharge the duties
KH: “Of the office of Mayor.
KB: Of the office of Mayor.
KH: “According to my best ability.”
KB: According to my best ability.
KH: Madam Mayor *reaches out to initiate handshake*
KB: *Shakes hand of the United States Vice President*