Mayor, City of Los Angeles
Bass took office in December as the city’s 43rd mayor – and first woman in that post – defeating billionaire shopping mall magnate Rick
Caruso in a campaign focused on dealing with the city’s intractable homeless crisis. Her first official act was to declare a state of emergency on homelessness. A Los Angeles native, Bass drew notice as a community organizer. She won election to the state Assembly in 2004 and served two years as Assembly Speaker. She won election to Congress in 2010, serving South Los Angeles and Culver City. One of the highlights of her six terms in Congress was leading the passage of a child welfare reform package.