Karen Bass Is Elected As Los Angeles’ First Female Mayor: On Wednesday, U.S. Representative Karen Bass defeated developer Rick Caruso to win the position of mayor of Los Angeles. She is the first Black woman to hold the position as City Hall deals with an out-of-control homeless crisis, rising crime rates, and numerous scandals that have eroded confidence in the political system.
Ms Bass had a commanding lead of about 47,000 votes after more than 70% of the ballots had been counted. Caruso scored 46.9%, while she received 53.1%. When Ms Bass learned she had won the contest, a staff member called her while she was at work in her congressional office in Los Angeles.
According to Mr Caruso’s campaign, he called the incoming mayor to extend his greetings. “The people of Los Angeles have made it very plain that change and haste are needed, “In a statement, Ms Bass stated. “I ran for mayor so that we could quickly address the challenges in our community, “said Bass.
“Five Angelenos will not wake up tonight while 40,000 will sleep without a house. Families are being priced out of their areas as crime rises. This needs to alter.” “There will be more to come from the movement we formed,” Mr Caruso vowed.
According to a statement he released, “As a city, we need to rally around” Bass. Ms Bass, a Democrat who was on President-elect Joe Biden’s shortlist for Vice President, defeated Mr Caruso’s campaign, which had spent more than $100 million, by making the case that she would be a coalition builder who could restore peace to a difficult city of over 4 million people.
The election was a test of the willingness of people in the strongly Democratic city to abandon their liberal leanings and support a strategy that would place a heavy emphasis on public safety. Mr Caruso, a former Republican who switched to the Democratic Party just before the election, had symbolized a swing to the right in politics.
He claimed that Ms Bass and other seasoned politicians were contributing factors in LA’s various difficulties. To address the rising crime rate, he pledged to increase the police force. He also promised to remove homeless camps off the streets as soon as possible.
In a place where Republicans are hardly noticeable, Ms Bass, a former state Assembly leader, had the advantage of being a lifetime Democrat. Vice President Kamala Harris, Mr Biden, and the Democratic establishment all supported her.
She will be the first Black woman and second person of colour to fill the position following previous Mayor Tom Bradley, who served in that capacity from 1973 to 1993, making the election significant historically.
She assumes office the following month as the City Council deals with a racism issue that caused the resignation of its former president and has prompted calls for the resignation of two further council members.
It’s official: @RepKarenBass is the next mayor of LA!
Congratulations Madam Mayor on making history. Looking forward to continue our work together from the halls of Congress to City Hall!https://t.co/DYS9xcp2SZ
— Rep. Jimmy Gomez (@RepJimmyGomez) November 17, 2022
More than 40,000 people are homeless, and violence, which has included everything from daytime robberies on city sidewalks to smash-and-grab thefts at high-end establishments, has caused widespread worry.
Declaring a state of emergency on homelessness and starting the process of moving thousands of unhoused people out of collapsing tent communities and rusty RVs into shelters are Ms Bass’s first orders of business at City Hall, according to her.
During a rally on election night, Ms Bass declared: “We are in a war for the essence of our city. “A new Los Angeles is what we’re going to develop.” The victor will take over for embattled Democrat Eric Garcetti, whose nomination for the position of U.S. ambassador to India has presumably been blocked in the Senate due to claims of sexual misconduct against a former top Garcetti staffer.
Garcetti will end two uneasy terms. The extravagant expenditures of Mr Caruso—as well as his inescapable advertising—had a significant impact on the campaign. According to city records, his campaign has already spent more than $100 million, most of which was funded by his funds.
With only a small portion of that sum at her disposal, Ms Bass had said that “the power of the people, not the power of the purse, is what matters.” When LA voters chose Republican Richard Riordan to head the city in the wake of the deadly 1992 riots that broke out after four white police officers were cleared of all charges in the beating of Black motorist Rodney King, they were responding to Mr Caruso’s focus on unsafe streets.
Very interesting early results in LA: Karen Bass wins mayor’s race, Robert Luna is next LA County sheriff DESPITE many Latino-majority areas voting against them. Will withhold analysis until after Thanksgiving, when we have as clear a picture as possible! https://t.co/D3M7USNz28
— Col. Gustavo Arellano (@GustavoArellano) November 17, 2022
Additionally, it is comparable to New York City in the early 1990s, when Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani was elected as a result of the belief that crime was out of control. Though Los Angeles has evolved significantly since Riordan’s time.
More Latino voters make up the majority of the electorate, which is also less white and more firmly Democratic. Republicans make up only about 13% of the electorate, while Democrats hold close to 60% of the seats.
Final Lines
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