After months of speculation, Rep. Karen Bass on Monday, Sept. 27, officially announced on social media that she is running to be Los Angeles’ next mayor.
With my whole heart, I'm ready. Let's do this -- together.
— Karen Bass (@KarenBassLA) September 27, 2021
I'm running for mayor.https://t.co/CLkJfFddHT
Rep. Bass gave the following reasons for running on her campaign website:
Thirty years ago, Karen Bass saw a city in crisis and stepped up to lead. As a Los Angeles native and a nurse, she saw crime and addiction tearing families and communities apart. So she dedicated her career to helping: by founding Community Coalition, one of the most impactful and respected nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles. What started as an effort to reduce violence by closing liquor stores and helping people with drug addiction turned into a thirty-year force in creating economic, education, and housing opportunities.
Today Los Angeles faces another emergency. A public health and humanitarian crisis: homelessness.
40,000 people sleep on the streets of LA every night – more than in any other city in the nation.
Karen is running for Mayor because she knows that solving this crisis means addressing the root causes of homelessness: lack of affordable housing, health care, job training, mental health services, and drug and alcohol counseling.
Today’s homelessness crisis demands urgent attention to root causes, not just surface-level fixes or divisive talking points by politicians.
There are no simple answers, but Karen has the experience, values, and support to get the job done.
