Democrat Bass takes charge as LA mayor amid homeless crisis
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD and CHRISTOPHER WEBER
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Karen Ruth Bass took a ceremonial oath of office as mayor of Los Angeles and will become the first woman and second Black person to hold the job. The former congresswoman and state Assembly speaker formally takes charge Monday amid a homeless crisis and rising crime. City Hall also has been shaken by racism and corruption scandals. She took the oath from Vice President Kamala Harris, a former California attorney general. Bass has said her first action will be declaring a state of emergency on homelessness, with over 40,000 unhoused people living in trash-strewn encampments or rusty vehicles that have spread into virtually every neighborhood.
