Karen Bass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karen Bass
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Official portrait, 2023
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| 43rd Mayor of Los Angeles | |
| Assumed office December 12, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Eric Garcetti |
| Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus | |
| In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Cedric Richmond |
| Succeeded by | Joyce Beatty |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California |
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| In office January 3, 2011 – December 9, 2022 |
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| 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 |
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| Preceded by | Fabian Núñez |
| Succeeded by | John Pérez |
| Majority Leader of the California Assembly | |
| In office December 4, 2006 – May 13, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Dario Frommer |
| Succeeded by | Alberto Torrico |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 47th district |
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| In office December 6, 2004 – December 6, 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Herb Wesson |
| Succeeded by | Holly Mitchell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Karen Ruth Bass
October 3, 1953 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Jesus Lechuga
(m. 1980; div. 1986) |
| Children | 5, including 4 stepchildren |
| 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 served as the 43rd Mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. Bass 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.
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. This made her the first African-American woman in U.S. history to lead a state legislative 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.
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Early Life and Education
Karen Bass was born in Los Angeles, California. Her parents were Wilhelmina and DeWitt Talmadge Bass. Her father worked as a postman, and her mother was a homemaker. Karen 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 television with her father sparked her interest in helping her community. In middle school, Bass volunteered for Robert Kennedy's presidential campaign. She was involved in community organizing and youth activism, even traveling to Cuba several times in the 1970s.
Bass studied philosophy at San Diego State University from 1971 to 1973. She graduated from the physician assistant program at the USC Keck School of Medicine in 1982. Later, she earned a Bachelor of Science in health sciences from California State University, Dominguez Hills, in 1990.
In the 1980s, she worked as an emergency medicine physician assistant. She also taught at the physician assistant program 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 United States House of Representatives, Bass earned a Master of Social Work from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work in 2015.
California State Assembly Service
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 due to California's term limits. Bass represented areas like Culver City, West Los Angeles, and Leimert Park.
Speaker Fabian Núñez chose Bass for important roles. She was the California State Assembly majority whip for 2005–06. Then she became the majority floor leader for 2007–08. As majority whip, Bass was also vice chair of the Legislative Black Caucus. She helped create the first "State of Black California" report.
Leading the Assembly
Fabian Núñez finished his term in 2008. Karen Bass then became the highest-ranking Democrat in the Assembly. She was elected Speaker on February 28, 2008, and sworn in on May 13, 2008.
As Speaker, Bass worked to improve the state's child welfare system. She helped expand health insurance for children. She also made it easier for small businesses to get certified. Bass secured over $2.3 million to help the Vision Theater in Los Angeles. She also got over $600 million for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Facing Budget Challenges
Bass became Speaker during a difficult economic time. The state faced a huge budget shortfall. She was part of talks to create a plan to fix this problem. These talks led to a deal that helped close most of a $42 billion budget gap.
Bass, Dave Cogdill, Darrell Steinberg, and Michael Villines received an award in 2010. It was called the Profile in Courage Award. They earned it for their leadership during the budget crisis.
U.S. House of Representatives
Congressional Elections
In 2010, Representative Diane Watson retired from Congress. She encouraged Bass to run for her seat. Karen Bass could not run for the State Assembly again due to term limits. So, on February 18, 2010, she announced her plan to run for California's 33rd congressional district.
Bass won the election on November 2, 2010, with over 86% of the votes.
In 2012, after new district maps were drawn, her district became 37th district. She won the general election with 86% of the vote. Bass also helped President Barack Obama's reelection campaign. She was a leader in the California African Americans for Obama group.
Bass was reelected to her third term in 2014 with 84.3% of the vote. She won her fourth term in 2016 with 81.1% of the vote. She supported Hillary Clinton for president in 2015. Bass chose not to attend President Trump's inauguration.
In 2018, Bass was reelected to her fifth term with 88.2% of the vote. After the 2018 elections, Democrats gained the majority in the House. Bass supported Nancy Pelosi to remain as the Democrats' leader. Bass won her primary in 2020 with 88.1% of the vote. She was reelected to her sixth term with 85.9% of the vote.
Congressional Roles
Karen Bass served on important committees in Congress:
- Committee on the Judiciary
- Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations (Chair)
- Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights (Chair)
She was also part of many caucuses, which are groups of lawmakers who share interests.
- Congressional Black Caucus (chair; 2019–2021)
- Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, Founder and Co-Chair
- Congressional Coalition on Adoption (CCA)
- American Sikh Congressional Caucus
- Congressional Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus
- Coalition for Autism Research and Education (CARE)
- Congressional Caucus on Black Men and Boys
- Congressional Creative Rights Caucus
- Congressional Diabetes Caucus
- Congressional Entertainment Industries Caucus
- Congressional Ethiopia Caucus
- Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus
- Congressional International Conservation Caucus
- Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus
- Congressional Library of Congress Caucus
- Congressional Military Mental Health Caucus
- Congressional Multiple Sclerosis Caucus
- Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus
- Congressional Social Work Caucus
- Congressional Valley Fever Task Force
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Medicare for All Caucus
Bass was the second vice chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. She was elected chair of the Congressional Black Caucus on November 28, 2018. She served as chair from 2019 to 2021.
Vice Presidential Consideration
In July 2020, Karen Bass was considered as a possible running mate for presidential candidate Joe Biden. Biden later chose Kamala Harris as his running mate. Bass tweeted her support for Harris.
In November 2020, Biden also considered Bass for roles in his administration. These included Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Mayor of Los Angeles
2022 Mayoral 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 aimed to help people experiencing homelessness find shelter.
Bass received the most votes in the June 7 primary election. She then faced Rick Caruso in the November runoff election. On November 16, the Associated Press announced her as the mayor-elect.
Mayoral Term
Karen Bass was officially sworn in by the Los Angeles City Clerk on December 10, 2022. She took over from Eric Garcetti. The next day, Vice President Kamala Harris held a public ceremony for her inauguration. Bass officially started her term on December 12. She is the first woman and the second Black person to serve as mayor of Los Angeles.
Addressing Housing Needs
As her first act as mayor, Bass declared a city state of emergency on homelessness. This was a promise from her campaign. By the end of her first year, her administration reported that over 21,000 people experiencing homelessness had found indoor shelter. She worked to make it easier to build affordable housing in Los Angeles.
Political Views and Actions
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 aims to prevent discrimination against LGBTQ people in many areas of life.
Bass voted in favor of impeaching Donald Trump during his presidency.
Child Welfare Reform
When she joined Congress, Bass started the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth (CCFY). This group of lawmakers works together to improve the child welfare system. One of their biggest successes was the Family First Prevention Services Act. This law helps child welfare systems across the country. It focuses on preventing children from being removed from their homes.
Since 2012, the Caucus has hosted an annual Foster Youth Shadow Day. During this event, young people in foster care visit Washington, D.C. They learn how to advocate for changes to the child welfare system. They also spend a day with members of Congress.
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 proposed a new standard for repayment and capped interest rates. With Danny Davis, she also introduced the Financial Aid Fairness for Students (FAFSA) Act. This bill would change a law that made it hard for people with certain past convictions to get federal financial aid for college.
Police Reform Efforts
After widespread calls for police reform, Bass helped write a bill called the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020. This bill aimed to improve police practices and ensure fairness. It sought to limit certain police actions and make it easier to hold police accountable.
The bill passed in the House of Representatives. However, it did not become law because it faced opposition in the Senate.
Personal Life
Karen Bass was married to Jesus Lechuga from 1980 to 1986. After their divorce, they raised their daughter and her four stepchildren together. Bass attends a Baptist church.
See also
- List of African-American United States representatives
- List of female speakers of legislatures in the United States
- List of mayors of the 50 largest cities in the United States
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
 | Madam C. J. Walker |
 | Janet Emerson Bashen |
 | Annie Turnbo Malone |
 | Maggie L. Walker |
