Karen Bass to be sworn in as first female mayor of Los Angeles by Kamala Harris

Karen Bass is being sworn in as the first female mayor of Los Angeles on Sunday, marking another historic achievement in her career.

Kamala Harris – the first woman and first woman of color to become vice president – is set to administer the oath of office at Los Angeles City Hall.

Bass overcame a fierce challenge from real estate magnate Rick Caruso, who spent more than $104 million to defeat her in November. She’s succeeding term-limited Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Elected to the California state Assembly in 2004, Bass made history some four years later as the first Black woman to serve as speaker of any state legislature.

When Bass takes office, the four largest cities in the US will all have Black mayors – that includes Eric Adams of New York City, Lori Lightfoot of Chicago and Sylvester Turner of Houston.

The six-term congresswoman has argued that her longtime relationships with state and national lawmakers would result in increased funding to Los Angeles to address the city’s housing crisis.

Bass has also promised to use her connections within the Biden administration to troubleshoot problems like the need for more federal housing vouchers. As mayor, she has said she would also pursue federal waivers to allow the creation of mental health and substance abuse facilities with a greater number of beds.