Karen Bass

Karen Bass
Born	Karen Ruth Bass 3 10, 1953
Birthplace	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Politician, physician assistant, community organizer
Known for	First woman to serve as Mayor of Los Angeles; first African-American woman to serve as speaker of a U.S. state legislature
Education	California State University, Dominguez Hills (BS) University of Southern California (MPAP, MSW)
Children	5 (including 4 stepchildren)
Awards	John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award (2010)

Karen Ruth Bass (born October 3, 1953) is an American politician serving as the 43rd Mayor of Los Angeles since December 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Bass made history upon her inauguration as the first woman elected to lead the city of Los Angeles, capping a political career that had already seen her become the first African-American woman to serve as speaker of any state legislative body in the United States. Before entering electoral politics, Bass spent years working as a physician assistant and community organizer in South Los Angeles, experiences that shaped her focus on public health, child welfare, and community safety. She represented California in the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2022 and served in the California State Assembly from 2004 to 2010, including a term as Speaker. During the 116th Congress, she chaired the Congressional Black Caucus. As mayor, Bass has confronted challenges including homelessness, public safety, and disaster recovery following the devastating 2025 wildfires in the Pacific Palisades area, issues that have drawn both praise and criticism from residents and political observers.

Early Life

Karen Ruth Bass was born on October 3, 1953, in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in the Venice neighborhood and later in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles. Bass was raised in a working-class family; her father was a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service.

Bass developed an early interest in civic engagement and social justice. As a young woman, she became involved in community activism in Los Angeles, particularly in neighborhoods affected by poverty, crime, and limited access to healthcare. Her experiences in these communities during the 1970s and 1980s would later inform her career in both healthcare and politics.

Before entering elected office, Bass worked for years as a physician assistant and community organizer in South Los Angeles. She was particularly active in addressing the crack cocaine epidemic that devastated many African-American communities in Los Angeles during the 1980s. In 1990, Bass founded the Community Coalition (also known as CoCo), a community organization based in South Los Angeles dedicated to fighting substance abuse, poverty, and related social issues. The organization's stated mission was to help transform the social and economic conditions in South Los Angeles by building a community institution that involved residents in creating, influencing, and changing public policy. Under Bass's leadership, the Community Coalition organized campaigns to close liquor stores that had proliferated in South Los Angeles neighborhoods, and it worked to redirect public resources toward community-based alternatives to incarceration and substance abuse treatment.

Education

Bass attended San Diego State University before transferring to California State University, Dominguez Hills, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree. She later pursued graduate studies at the University of Southern California, where she earned a Master of Public Administration degree (MPAP) and a Master of Social Work (MSW). Her educational background in public administration, social work, and health sciences provided a foundation for her dual career in healthcare and public service. Bass's training as a physician assistant at the USC Keck School of Medicine allowed her to work directly in medically underserved communities in South Los Angeles, an experience she has cited as formative in her understanding of the intersection between public health and public policy.

Career

Community Organizing

Prior to entering electoral politics, Bass spent more than a decade leading the Community Coalition, the South Los Angeles–based organization she founded in 1990. The Community Coalition focused on grassroots organizing to address the root causes of poverty, substance abuse, and violence in South Los Angeles neighborhoods. Under Bass's direction, the organization trained hundreds of community members in civic engagement and policy advocacy. The coalition's efforts to reduce the number of liquor stores in South Los Angeles and to promote reinvestment in the community drew attention from local and state policymakers. Bass's work with the Community Coalition established her reputation as a community leader and laid the groundwork for her eventual entry into politics.

California State Assembly (2004–2010)

In 2004, Bass was elected to represent California's 47th State Assembly district, succeeding Herb Wesson. She quickly rose through the ranks of the Democratic caucus in the Assembly. On December 4, 2006, she was elected Majority Leader of the California Assembly, succeeding Dario Frommer in that role.

On May 13, 2008, Bass was elected the 67th Speaker of the California State Assembly, succeeding Fabian Núñez. With this election, she became the first African-American woman in United States history to serve as speaker of a state legislative body, a milestone that drew national attention. The Los Angeles Sentinel noted that Bass joined a lineage of prominent African-American speakers of the California Assembly, including Willie Brown and Herb Wesson.

As Speaker, Bass led the Assembly during one of California's most severe budget crises, prompted by the Great Recession. She was tasked with negotiating a state budget that required bipartisan agreement due to California's then-supermajority requirement for passing a budget. Bass worked with Republican legislators and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to pass emergency budget measures, an effort that required her to navigate deep partisan divisions within the legislature. Her willingness to engage with Republican members during the budget negotiations was noted by political observers.

During her tenure as Speaker, Bass also oversaw the release of a report titled "The State of Black California," which examined socioeconomic conditions facing African Americans in the state, including disparities in education, employment, health, and incarceration.

Bass served as Speaker until March 1, 2010, when she was succeeded by John Pérez. She left the Assembly on December 6, 2010, having been term-limited out of office; she was succeeded by Holly Mitchell.

U.S. House of Representatives (2011–2022)

In November 2010, Bass was elected to the United States House of Representatives, winning the seat in California's 33rd congressional district that had been held by Diane Watson. Following redistricting after the 2010 Census, she was moved to California's 37th congressional district beginning in 2013, where she continued to serve until her resignation in December 2022.

During her time in Congress, Bass served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she was involved with the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations. She focused on issues related to U.S. policy toward Africa, global health, and child welfare. Bass also served on the House Judiciary Committee, where she was involved in debates over criminal justice reform.

One of Bass's signature legislative efforts was the passage of foster care reform legislation. Drawing on her background in social work, she championed measures to improve outcomes for children in the foster care system and to support families at risk of involvement with the child welfare system.

In January 2019, Bass was elected chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) for the 116th United States Congress, succeeding Cedric Richmond. She served as CBC chair until January 2021, when she was succeeded by Joyce Beatty. As CBC chair, Bass was a prominent voice on issues of racial justice, police reform, and voting rights. Her tenure coincided with the nationwide protests following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, during which Bass helped lead the House Democratic caucus's response, including the introduction of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Bass was considered a potential running mate for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden during the 2020 presidential election. She was reported to be on Biden's short list of vice presidential candidates before Kamala Harris was ultimately selected.

Bass resigned from the House of Representatives on December 9, 2022, shortly before her inauguration as mayor of Los Angeles. She was succeeded in her congressional seat by Sydney Kamlager-Dove.

Mayor of Los Angeles (2022–present)

Bass won the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election, defeating businessman Rick Caruso in the general election. She was inaugurated on December 12, 2022, becoming the first woman and the second African American to serve as mayor of Los Angeles.

Upon taking office, Bass declared a state of emergency on homelessness, one of the central issues of her mayoral campaign. She issued executive directives aimed at accelerating the placement of unhoused individuals into shelters and permanent housing, and she established the "Inside Safe" program to move encampment residents indoors.

2025 Wildfires and Aftermath

In January 2025, devastating wildfires struck the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles, resulting in widespread destruction. The fires and the city's emergency response became a defining challenge of Bass's mayoralty. Bass faced scrutiny over the city's preparedness and the Fire Department's response to the disaster. In February 2026, reports emerged that a confidential Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) memo had outlined a strategy to protect Bass and other city leaders from potential criticism related to the fire response. Yusef Robb, a senior adviser to Bass, described the Los Angeles Times report on the memo as "false." Fire victims expressed frustration after receiving brush clearance bills from the city in the wake of the disaster.

LA28 Olympics and Casey Wasserman Controversy

In February 2026, Bass publicly called for Casey Wasserman, the chairman of the LA28 Olympic Organizing Committee, to resign from his position after Wasserman's name surfaced in documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bass stated that she did not want Wasserman running the 2028 Summer Olympics. The New York Times reported that Bass was among the latest prominent voices to call for Wasserman's departure. Bass also discussed the matter in a CNN interview. The National Review characterized Bass's call for Wasserman's resignation as reflective of broader political dynamics surrounding the Epstein files.

Personal Life

Bass has five children, including four stepchildren. In 2006, Bass experienced a personal tragedy when her daughter Emilia and her son-in-law were killed in a car accident. The loss was widely reported at the time and Bass has spoken publicly about its impact on her life and public service.

Bass has been a longtime resident of Los Angeles, maintaining strong ties to the communities in which she grew up and later organized. She has described her upbringing and early community work as central to her identity and her approach to governance.

Recognition

Bass's election as Speaker of the California State Assembly in 2008 was recognized as a historic milestone. She was the first African-American woman to hold the speakership of any state legislative chamber in the United States, a fact noted by numerous media outlets and political organizations at the time.

In 2010, Bass received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. The award recognized her bipartisan leadership during California's budget crisis while serving as Assembly Speaker.

Bass was also recognized by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education for her work on education policy and her advocacy for diversity in higher education.

Her election as mayor of Los Angeles in 2022 was again noted as historic: she became the first woman to hold the office in the city's history, a milestone covered extensively by national and international media.

Legacy

Karen Bass's career spans community organizing, state legislative leadership, federal service, and municipal governance in one of the largest cities in the United States. Her founding of the Community Coalition in 1990 established a model of grassroots civic engagement in South Los Angeles that has continued to operate and influence policy long after her departure from its leadership. As the first African-American woman to serve as speaker of a state legislature, Bass broke a barrier that had stood for the entirety of American history up to that point, a milestone noted by historians and political commentators across the political spectrum.

In Congress, Bass's work on foster care reform and criminal justice issues earned her recognition from child welfare and civil rights organizations. Her chairmanship of the Congressional Black Caucus during a period of intense national debate over policing and racial justice placed her at the center of consequential policy discussions.

As mayor, Bass has faced the complex challenges of governing Los Angeles during a period marked by a persistent homelessness crisis, natural disasters, and preparations for the 2028 Summer Olympics. The outcomes of her tenure as mayor will continue to shape assessments of her legacy in the years ahead.