Karen Bass facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Karen Bass
Official portrait, 2022

43rd Mayor of Los Angeles
Incumbent
Assumed office December 12, 2022
Preceded by	Eric Garcetti
26th Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus
In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Cedric Richmond
Succeeded by	Joyce Beatty
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California
In office January 3, 2011 – December 9, 2022
Preceded by	Diane Watson
Succeeded by	Sydney Kamlager-Dove
Constituency	33rd district (2011–2013) 37th district (2013–2022)
67th Speaker of the California State Assembly
In office May 13, 2008 – March 1, 2010
Preceded by	Fabian Núñez
Succeeded by	John Pérez
Majority Leader of the California Assembly
In office December 4, 2006 – May 13, 2008
Preceded by	Dario Frommer
Succeeded by	Alberto Torrico
Member of the California State Assembly from the 47th district
In office December 6, 2004 – December 6, 2010
Preceded by	Herb Wesson
Succeeded by	Holly Mitchell

Personal details
Born	Karen Ruth Bass (1953-10-03) October 3, 1953 (age 71) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Jesus Lechuga (m. 1980; div. 1986)
Children	5, including 4 stepchildren
Residence	Getty House
Education	San Diego State University California State University, Dominguez Hills (BS) University of Southern California (MPAP, MSW)

Karen Ruth Bass (born October 3, 1953) is an American politician. She has been the 43rd Mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Before becoming mayor, Bass served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2022. She was also in the California State Assembly from 2004 to 2010. During her last term in the Assembly, she was the Speaker.

Karen Bass studied at San Diego State University and California State University, Dominguez Hills. She worked as a physician assistant and a community organizer. In 2004, she was elected to represent California's 47th State Assembly district. In 2008, she became the 67th Speaker of the California State Assembly. She was the first African-American woman in U.S. history to be a speaker of a state lawmaking body.

Bass was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010. She represented different districts in California during her time there. She also led the Congressional Black Caucus from 2019 to 2021. After winning the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election, Bass became the first woman to serve as mayor of Los Angeles.

Early Life and Education

Karen Bass was born in Los Angeles, California. Her parents were Wilhelmina and DeWitt Talmadge Bass. Her father was a postman, and her mother was a homemaker. She grew up in the Venice and Fairfax neighborhoods of Los Angeles. She graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School in 1971.

Watching the civil rights movement on TV with her father made her interested in helping her community. In middle school, Bass volunteered for Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign. In the 1970s, she helped organize trips for Americans to Cuba.

Bass studied philosophy at San Diego State University from 1971 to 1973. She later graduated from the physician assistant program at the USC Keck School of Medicine in 1982. In 1990, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health sciences from California State University, Dominguez Hills.

In the 1980s, she worked as an emergency medicine physician assistant. She also taught at the USC Keck School of Medicine. In the late 1980s, Bass and other local organizers started Community Coalition. This group helps people in South Los Angeles.

While serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Bass earned a Master of Social Work degree. She received it from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work in 2015.

California State Assembly

In 2004, Karen Bass was elected to represent California's 47th State Assembly district. When she started, she was the only African-American woman in the state legislature. She was reelected in 2006 and 2008. Her term ended because of California's term limits.

Bass represented areas like Culver City, West Los Angeles, Westwood, and South Los Angeles. Speaker Fabian Núñez chose Bass to be the majority whip for 2005–06. She then became the majority floor leader for 2007–08. As majority whip, she was vice chair of the Legislative Black Caucus. She helped create the first "State of Black California" report.

Becoming Speaker

Speaker Núñez had to leave the Assembly in 2008 due to term limits. Bass was the next highest-ranking Democrat. She gained support from most lawmakers. Bass was elected speaker on February 28, 2008. She was sworn in on May 13, 2008.

As speaker, Bass supported many laws to improve the state's child welfare system. She helped expand health insurance for children. She also worked to make it easier for small businesses to get certified. Bass secured money to help fix the Vision Theater in Los Angeles. She also got funds for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

California Budget Challenges

Bass became speaker during a difficult economic time. Talks about how to handle a large budget problem started when she was sworn in. She helped negotiate a deal to fix most of a $42 billion budget shortfall.

In June 2009, Bass made comments about how conservative radio affected lawmakers. She said some Republican lawmakers felt pressured not to vote for tax increases. She described it as a "threat" to their careers. Bass, along with three other leaders, received an award in 2010. They were honored for their leadership during the budget negotiations.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections and Campaigns

Karen Bass with Diane Watson in 2010, when Bass announced her run for Congress.

In 2010, Representative Diane Watson retired and encouraged Bass to run for her seat. Bass could not run for the State Assembly again due to term limits. So, on February 18, 2010, Bass announced she would run for California's 33rd congressional district.

Bass won the election on November 2, 2010, with over 86% of the votes. After the 2010 census, her district was renumbered to 37th. She won reelection in 2012 with 86% of the vote.

Bass helped President Barack Obama's reelection campaign. She was a leader in the California African Americans for Obama group. She also served on Obama's national African American Leadership Council.

She was reelected for her third term in 2014 with 84.3% of the vote. In 2016, she won her fourth term with 81.1% of the vote. Bass supported Hillary Clinton for president in 2015. In 2016, she started a petition to have then-candidate Donald Trump psychologically evaluated. She did not attend President Trump's inauguration.

Bass speaking in support of DREAMers in December 2017.

In 2018, Bass created the Sea Change Leadership PAC. This group aimed to get people involved in politics after Trump's election. She won her primary with 89.18% of the vote. She was reelected for her fifth term with 88.2% of the vote.

After the 2018 elections, Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives. Some members wanted to replace Nancy Pelosi as the Democrats' leader. They first asked Bass to be leader, but she supported Pelosi. Pelosi won the speakership.

Bass with Eric Garcetti, Antonio Villaraigosa and Pete Buttigieg at the Martin Luther King Jr. station in Los Angeles, July 8, 2022.

In 2020, Bass won her primary with 88.1% of the vote. She was reelected for her sixth term with 85.9% of the vote.

Key Roles in Congress

Bass served on important committees in the House. These included the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Foreign Affairs. She chaired the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations. She also chaired the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights.

She was the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus from 2019 to 2021. Bass also founded and co-chaired the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth. This group works to improve the child welfare system.

Mayor of Los Angeles

Bass speaking at her mayoral campaign kickoff in 2021.

2022 Election

On September 27, 2021, Bass announced she would run for mayor of Los Angeles in the 2022 election. Her campaign focused on solving Los Angeles's homelessness problem. She wanted to end homeless encampments near schools and parks.

Bass received the most votes in the June 7 primary election. She then faced Rick Caruso in the November runoff election. On November 16, she was declared the mayor-elect.

First Woman Mayor of Los Angeles

Bass was officially sworn in on December 10, 2022. She took over from Eric Garcetti. The next day, Vice President Kamala Harris held a public ceremony for her. Bass officially started her term on December 12. She is the first woman and the second Black person to be mayor of Los Angeles.

Actions on Housing

As her first act, Bass declared a city state of emergency on homelessness. This was a promise from her campaign. By the end of her first year, her team reported that over 21,000 homeless people had found shelter.

In June 2023, Bass signed an order to speed up the process for building affordable housing. Later, she changed the order. This made affordable housing projects in single-family neighborhoods unable to be fast-tracked. This change affected many potential low-income homes. In July 2024, she added more rules. Affordable housing projects in "historic districts" or on lots with rent-controlled apartments also became ineligible for fast-tracking.

In September 2023, Bass supported tearing down the Marina Freeway to build housing. However, by October 2023, she changed her mind and opposed tearing it down.

In July 2024, groups supporting low-income housing sued Los Angeles. They said the city blocked 140 affordable housing units in Venice. They blamed Bass for allowing local officials to stop the project.

January 2025 Wildfires

At the start of the January 2025 Southern California wildfires, Bass was in Ghana for an inauguration. She had promised not to travel abroad during her term as mayor. She returned to Los Angeles by military transport. Before she left, the National Weather Service had warned of "extreme fire weather conditions."

Bass's trip led to much criticism. People felt she underestimated the risk of wildfires. Rick Caruso, whose daughter lost her home, criticized the city's fire preparation. He said fire hydrants in Pacific Palisades did not have enough water.

The owner of the Los Angeles Times and Fire Chief Kristin Crowley criticized Bass. They said she cut $17.6 million from the fire department's budget. Crowley warned in December 2024 that these cuts reduced the department's ability to respond to emergencies like wildfires. Bass had initially proposed even larger cuts. After the fires, the city approved more money for firefighter pay raises and new equipment. Bass stated on January 9 that the budget cuts "would not have impacted the situation."

On February 21, 2025, Bass fired Chief Crowley. Bass claimed Crowley had not prepared the department for the Palisades Fire. Crowley disagreed, saying she had warned Bass about the danger. Many people, including Caruso, criticized Bass's decision to fire Crowley. They linked it to Crowley speaking out about the budget cuts.

Political Views

In 2018, the Los Angeles Stonewall Democratic Club named Bass their Public Official of the Year. In 2019, she voted for the Equality Act. This law would stop discrimination against LGBTQ people in many areas.

Bass voted to impeach Donald Trump the first and second times.

Child Welfare Reform

When she joined Congress, Bass started the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth (CCFY). This group works to improve the child welfare system. One of their biggest successes was the Family First Prevention Services Act. This law aims to help children stay with their families. It addresses reasons why children are placed in foster care.

Since May 2012, the Caucus has hosted an annual Foster Youth Shadow Day. Young people in foster care come to Washington, D.C. They learn how to advocate for changes in the child welfare system. They also spend a day with their members of Congress.

Criminal Justice

Bass believes the criminal justice system has problems. She notes that more poor people of color are in prison. Bass has long called for changes to the system. She wants special attention paid to how the system treats women. This includes how they enter the system, how they are treated in prison, and what happens after they are released.

In 2018, she voted for the First Step Act. This law helps people in prison by offering earlier release for good behavior. Bass helped add a section to the bill. It addresses the practice of restraining pregnant women during labor and delivery.

Foreign Policy

Bass has supported giving defense aid to Israel. However, in 2020, she signed a letter criticizing Israel's plan to take parts of Palestinian land. In 2023, she supported Israel during the Gaza war.

During the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, Bass spoke out against military actions by Azerbaijan and Turkish-backed forces. She supported giving humanitarian aid to Artsakh. She also supported talks to protect the rights of Armenian people in Artsakh.

Student Loan Debt

In 2019, Bass introduced two laws to help with student loan debt. The Student Loan Fairness Act of 2019 aimed to make student loans fairer. It would create a new standard for repayment and cap interest rates. With Danny Davis, she also introduced the Financial Aid Fairness for Students (FAFSA) Act. This bill would change a law that makes it hard for people with certain past convictions to get federal financial aid for college.

George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Bass and Representative Jerry Nadler wrote the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020. This bill aimed to change police practices. It sought to ban certain holds and make it easier to prosecute police who break the law.

The bill passed the House of Representatives. However, it did not pass in the Senate. Talks between Republican and Democratic senators on a reform bill ended in September 2021.

Personal Life

Karen Bass was married to Jesus Lechuga from 1980 to 1986. After their divorce, they raised their daughter and Bass's four stepchildren together. In 2006, her daughter, Emilia Bass-Lechuga, and son-in-law, Michael Wright, died in a car crash. Bass attends a Baptist church.

Home Incidents

On September 9, 2022, Bass's Los Angeles home was broken into. Two firearms were stolen. Bass called the incident "unnerving." She said the firearms were stored securely. Two suspects were later detained. Bass said the incident "shattered" her sense of safety.

On April 21, 2024, a person broke a window and entered the Getty House. This is where Bass lives as Mayor of Los Angeles. She and her family were unharmed. The suspect was caught.