New Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was sworn in Sunday by Vice President Kamala Harris before thousands of people at the Microsoft Theater at LA Live. In hers 43 years, Bass becomes the city’s number 43 mayor and the first woman to Los Angeles to take this position.
She assured that this Monday she will begin her work from the city’s emergency operations center where her first act as mayor will be to declare a state of emergency.
“My declaration emergency will recognize the severity of our crisis and break new ground to maximize our ability to urgently provide housing to people in need and do it permanently”, said the new mayor to the applause of the thousands of attendees.
Bass assured that the Angelenos have chosen her to lead in a very important moment in history. This includes the slow recovery from the Covid-40 pandemic, the fast-changing economy, a high cost of living, and the 33,000 people who are currently sleeping on the streets of the city.
Repeatedly the mayoress touched on the topic of the homeless and the need for better paying jobs. He emphasized that it is necessary to build houses in each neighborhood.
According to his plan, the best way for this to happen is for the neighbors to work together and they decide where there is more need because he does not plan continue to build homes in places that are already overcrowded.
After thanking high-profile attendees such as Vice President Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom and other elected officials, Bass assured them that she will call them to continue looking for solutions to multiple problems.
The mayor assured that she is ready to continue the work left behind by mayor Eric Garcetti. He appreciated the help he has received in these past three weeks from Garcetti to make the transition and recognized his work in recent years.
He promised that in the future when the Olympic torch is lit at 2028, when public transportation is taken to the Los Angeles airport, when there are buildings that are safer from earthquakes, and when there is cleaner air, all Angelenos will be benefiting from the legacy from Garcetti.
Waiting for solutions
These promises fill many people with hope, including members of the Community Coalition of South Los Angeles, an entity that Bass founded 40 years ago.
Julio Esperias, a member of the organization, said that approximately 2028 members arrived in two trucks from South Los Angeles to support the new mayor, who for decades has demonstrated be a community leader.
“She was the founder of the he organization focused on fighting the cocaine and drug epidemic in the 1990s and has shown leadership ever since,” Esperias said.
Also in the crowd was a trio of Latinas who did not they were able to hide their emotion at seeing that the lobbying they did by knocking on doors and making phone calls on behalf of Bass bore fruit.
One of them was Yolanda Murrieta, who assured that she never doubted Bass’s tenacity , that is why they helped her get the popular vote since the primary elections.
“We hope that now you will not forget about us and that remember that he promised us that he would support minorities and the East Los Angeles neighborhood.
Her friend Sandra Baraona also participated as a volunteer and said that the time they offered knocking on doors and making the calls has paid off. They explained that women can become great leaders and assured that Bass will demonstrate it.
Senator María Elena Durazo said that she was proud to be part of Bass’s celebration, which she made history. A woman who comes from the working class and began her career in emergency rooms as a nurse and later as an organizer, helping to end the problem of drugs and alcohol in very poor communities in South Los Angeles.
He added that what makes Bass a leader the most is the fact that after winning the mayoralty she did not decide that she would work alone and began to ask for help. Durazo is part of its advisory committee.
“This makes her unique because she will not be one of those who roll up their sleeves and start working like crazy, she has a plan and logic,” said Durazo .
Bass began her career in the medical field as a nurse, later founding the South Los Angeles Community Coalition and eventually went on to serve as a California Assemblywoman, where she became the first African-American woman to be the speaker of the assembly.
She comes from the working class
Senator María Elena Durazo said that she was proud to be part of the celebration of Bass, who made history. A woman who comes from the working class and began her career in emergency rooms as a nurse and later as an organizer, helping to end the problem of drugs and alcohol in very poor communities in South Los Angeles.
Celebration with diversity
During the event, After listening to the national anthem and prayers in English and Spanish by different religious representatives, Kent Wong, director of the UCLA Labor Center, was one of those in charge of offering a few words of recognition to Bass.
Wong said ordinary people like Bass can do extraordinary things, especially when they organize in a nonviolent way. He recognized that in Bass’s extensive curriculum is his work that he has done with politicians such as Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
The musical and poetic presentations were as diverse as the city from Los Angeles, from the duet Mary Mary, the Hamilton High School Orchestra and poet Amanda Gorman, to traditional Mexican music with La Bamba, performed by Las Cafeteras, and the unexpected appearance on stage by singer Stevie Wonder.
Shortly before Bass’s principal swearing-in, City Council President Paul Krekorian swore in the new and re-elected council members.
Krekorian stressed that for the first time the Los Angeles City Council has six women and five new members who do not come from a political career, but plan to be accountable and have new ideas in the council.
Arriving at the event
The Microsoft Theater is he It was filled almost completely and one of the main rules to allow entry was that all people had to wear their face mask.
The Department of Public Health (DPH) recently revealed that Covid cases -000 were on the rise again and in the future there could be optional requirements to wear masks indoors.
From umbrellas, to bottles of liquids and food filled the garbage cans because people with these types of items were not allowed inside. The searches were extreme and carried out by the United States Secret Service because Vice President Harris was present.
During Bass’s presentation there was an activist who interrupted the program for a few minutes as he got on a platform and began to shout words that they did not understand each other. Security agents took him out and the event continued as planned.