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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 12 (AP) — Karen Ruth Bass, a former physician assistant who broke the glass ceiling after leading the California legislature and later serving in Congress, He was sworn in as mayor of Los Angeles, California, at a ceremony on Sunday.
A progressive Democrat, Bass became the first woman and second black to hold the city’s top job, and will officially take office Monday amid multiple crises in the nation’s second-most populous city.
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She was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris, a longtime friend and former California attorney general. The formal oath is administered privately by the city clerk.
Bass is on a mission to ease rising crime, restore trust in a city hall shaken by racism and corruption scandals, and address the more than 40,000 people living in trash-strewn encampments or rusting RVs that line nearly every neighborhood The problem.
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Bass said in a tone of unity that many different government departments must come together to tackle homelessness.
To move in a new direction, “we have to have a single strategy” that brings together government, the private sector and other stakeholders,” Bass said in a speech at the Downtown Theater near City Hall.
Lives could be saved if people held hands instead of pointing fingers, she said. As mayor, she calls it “my mission.”
She also urged residents to get involved in city government, echoing John F. Kennedy’s presidential inaugural address, when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”
“I’m calling on the people of our city to not only dream of the Los Angeles we want, but to participate in making that dream come true,” Bass said.
Bass — who was on President-elect Joe Biden’s short list for vice president — claimed the post last month after overcoming more than USD 100 million in spending by rival Rick Caruso, a billionaire developer and Republican-turned-Democrat who campaigned as a centrist and Pledge to attach great importance to public safety.
Caruso has turned the political right on behalf of the democratic city. Bass swayed voters by arguing that she would be a coalition builder to help heal a troubled city of nearly 4 million people.
“We’re going to build a new Los Angeles,” Bass promised at an election night rally.
A photo of a beaming Bass hung on the marquee outside the theater with the slogan “A New Day in Los Angeles.” The stage backdrop was an American flag, an oversized photo of the steps and columns of City Hall.
In a surprise turn of events, Stevie Wonder sent the crowd dancing with a performance of “Living for the City.” He and Bass hugged each other.
Bass, 69, is running as the consensus pick of the Democratic establishment and is backed by Biden, former President Barack Obama and former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Despite her close ties to the Democratic political establishment, she has described herself as a change agent, planning to declare a state of emergency on her first day in office to tackle homelessness. She said she would try to mobilize “all the resources, all the skills, knowledge and talent of the city” to house the homeless.
Details about the emergency order have not been released, but she said she intends to house more than 17,000 homeless people in the first year through a combination of temporary and permanent facilities.
She will also tackle deep-seated urban problems, including a housing shortage, crumbling streets and some of the worst traffic in the country.
“The mayor’s first priority, and probably the main priority for some time to come, is homelessness,” said Rafael Sonanshin, executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at Cal State University in Los Angeles.
“Voters are not expecting miracles, but are looking for a clear and credible path to measurable and visible improvement,” Sonenshein said. “This is an opportunity to positively reset a crisis that seems to have stalled, and to restore confidence in Los Angeles local government.”
She replaces embattled Democrat Eric Garcetti, who ended two bumpy terms in office when his nomination to become U.S. ambassador to India stalled in the Senate, apparently over concerns over the former senior Garcetti adviser. allegations of sexual misconduct.
Bass took office as the city council grappled with a racism scandal that led to the resignations of its predecessor, a powerful labor leader, and a councilor implicated in the scandal refused to resign. Meanwhile, three current or former council members have been indicted or pleaded guilty to corruption charges.
Bass made history in the state legislature by becoming the first black woman to serve as speaker of any state legislature. She also chaired the Congressional Black Caucus in 2019 and 2020. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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