Courage California endorses Karen Bass for LA mayor to keep Los Angeles on the right track for progress.
Bass’s extensive experience and policy successes demonstrate that she is uniquely qualified to lead and will continue to be a progressive champion and govern in the best interest of this diverse city.
Progressive endorsements: Bass is endorsed by many progressive groups, including Courage California, California Working Families Party, LA Voice Action, California Women’s List, California Black Women’s Democratic Club, ACCE Action, Stonewall Democratic Club, and Westside Young Democrats, as well as the Los Angeles Times. She has also received the endorsement of many elected officials, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Katie Porter, State Senator Sydney Kamlager, and L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman.
Top issues: Homelessness and housing, workforce development, mental-health care access, public safety and criminal-justice reform, economic growth, clean energy, and sustainable environmental policy.
Priority bills: This year, Rep. Bass’s priorities for her congressional district, CD-37, have included 37 bills about crime and law enforcement, health care, foster care, and child welfare. Of these, nearly all are currently in committee.
Committee leadership/membership: In Congress, Rep. Bass currently serves on the Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees, and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Rep. Bass is former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and a member of a variety of legislative groups, including Medicare for All Caucus; Congressional Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus; Congressional Progressive Caucus; and Congressional Social Work Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Bass has served in Congress since 2010, when she was elected with over 86% of the vote. In 2020, she won her reelection against Republican challenger Errol Webber by 72 points.
Rep. Bass started her career as a nurse and a physician’s assistant, and was moved to action by the intimate view that her work provided of the crack epidemic in Los Angeles. In 1990, she founded Community Coalition, an organization she is still involved with today, to identify local solutions to the economic inequities that contribute to crime, addiction, violence, and poverty. Rep. Bass joined the State Assembly in 2004, and rose to the Speaker’s seat in 2008, as California was facing a severe recession. She was instrumental in negotiating a federal stimulus for Californians and passing legislation that secured affordable health care and improved child welfare services. During her six terms in Congress, Rep. Bass has established herself as an effective progressive leader, focusing much of her work on equity legislation. She has passed bills to protect the LGBTQIA+ community, has founded and co-chairs the bipartisan Caucus on Foster Youth, and has authored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to transform policing.
These experiences in health care, coalition-building, economic recovery, and racial-justice reform are the foundation of her approach to moving Los Angeles forward as mayor. Through a collaborative approach, her administration would focus on eliminating bureaucratic barriers to affordable housing development, working with individual communities to address local safety issues and hate-crime prevention, and tailoring interventions to support local economic recovery from COVID-19. In a city with both extreme wealth and extreme poverty, Rep. Bass’s policies would aim to narrow the economic gap and return dignity to individuals who have been failed by inefficient public systems. She is a longtime supporter of social equity and justice initiatives, and remains actively involved as a board member with the National Foster Youth Institute, which she co-founded.
Other background: Rep. Karen Bass is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles.
The Race
Primary election results: The June 2022 results included Rep. Karen Bass, 43%; Rick Caruso, 36%; Kevin de León, 8%; and Gina Viola, 7%. Rep. Karen Bass and Rick Caruso will compete in a run-off in the November 8 general election.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Bass’s campaign has raised $5 million and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC donors.
Opposing candidate: Rick Caruso
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Caruso’s campaign has raised $41 million, including $40 million that he has donated personally to his campaign. He has not disclosed funding from any problematic donors. Caruso is a billionaire real estate developer who switched his registration from Republican to Democrat in January 2022, prior to announcing his mayoral campaign. He contributed $50,000 to the failed effort to recall LA District Attorney George Gascón earlier this year, and has given to anti-abortion candidates and leaders, including Republicans Senator Mitch McConnell and Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
The District
City: Los Angeles is Los Angeles County’s most populous city. Los Angeles’s mayor and city council oversee the needs of 3.9 million people and manage an estimated operating budget of $11.2 billion annually.
District demographics: As of the 2020 Census, Los Angeles had a demographic breakdown of 48% Latino, 12% Asian, and 9% Black.
Recent election results: Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles, voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 41 points and for Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018 by 44 points.
The Position
Los Angeles uses a mayor–city council government structure, in which the mayor is elected at large and acts as chair of the 15-member city council and as the city’s chief executive officer. The city council is responsible for establishing policy, passing local laws (called ordinances), voting on budget appropriations, and developing an overall vision for the city. The mayor of Los Angeles has veto and emergency powers and is responsible for managing dozens of departments and agencies. They also carry out ordinances, ensure coordination among different branches of city government, and submit an annual budget proposal to the L.A. City Council. In Los Angeles, a mayor is elected to a four-year term, with a limit of two consecutive terms.
Last updated: 2023-04-05
Courage California endorses Karen Bass for LA mayor to keep Los Angeles on the right track for progress.
Bass’s extensive experience and policy successes demonstrate that she is uniquely qualified to lead and will continue to be a progressive champion and govern in the best interest of this diverse city.
Progressive endorsements: Bass is endorsed by many progressive groups, including Courage California, California Working Families Party, LA Voice Action, California Women’s List, California Black Women’s Democratic Club, ACCE Action, Stonewall Democratic Club, and Westside Young Democrats, as well as the Los Angeles Times. She has also received the endorsement of many elected officials, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Katie Porter, State Senator Sydney Kamlager, and L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman.
Top issues: Homelessness and housing, workforce development, mental-health care access, public safety and criminal-justice reform, economic growth, clean energy, and sustainable environmental policy.
Priority bills: This year, Rep. Bass’s priorities for her congressional district, CD-37, have included 37 bills about crime and law enforcement, health care, foster care, and child welfare. Of these, nearly all are currently in committee.
Committee leadership/membership: In Congress, Rep. Bass currently serves on the Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees, and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Rep. Bass is former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and a member of a variety of legislative groups, including Medicare for All Caucus; Congressional Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus; Congressional Progressive Caucus; and Congressional Social Work Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Bass has served in Congress since 2010, when she was elected with over 86% of the vote. In 2020, she won her reelection against Republican challenger Errol Webber by 72 points.
Rep. Bass started her career as a nurse and a physician’s assistant, and was moved to action by the intimate view that her work provided of the crack epidemic in Los Angeles. In 1990, she founded Community Coalition, an organization she is still involved with today, to identify local solutions to the economic inequities that contribute to crime, addiction, violence, and poverty. Rep. Bass joined the State Assembly in 2004, and rose to the Speaker’s seat in 2008, as California was facing a severe recession. She was instrumental in negotiating a federal stimulus for Californians and passing legislation that secured affordable health care and improved child welfare services. During her six terms in Congress, Rep. Bass has established herself as an effective progressive leader, focusing much of her work on equity legislation. She has passed bills to protect the LGBTQIA+ community, has founded and co-chairs the bipartisan Caucus on Foster Youth, and has authored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to transform policing.
These experiences in health care, coalition-building, economic recovery, and racial-justice reform are the foundation of her approach to moving Los Angeles forward as mayor. Through a collaborative approach, her administration would focus on eliminating bureaucratic barriers to affordable housing development, working with individual communities to address local safety issues and hate-crime prevention, and tailoring interventions to support local economic recovery from COVID-19. In a city with both extreme wealth and extreme poverty, Rep. Bass’s policies would aim to narrow the economic gap and return dignity to individuals who have been failed by inefficient public systems. She is a longtime supporter of social equity and justice initiatives, and remains actively involved as a board member with the National Foster Youth Institute, which she co-founded.
Other background: Rep. Karen Bass is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles.
The Race
Primary election results: The June 2022 results included Rep. Karen Bass, 43%; Rick Caruso, 36%; Kevin de León, 8%; and Gina Viola, 7%. Rep. Karen Bass and Rick Caruso will compete in a run-off in the November 8 general election.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Bass’s campaign has raised $5 million and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC donors.
Opposing candidate: Rick Caruso
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Caruso’s campaign has raised $41 million, including $40 million that he has donated personally to his campaign. He has not disclosed funding from any problematic donors. Caruso is a billionaire real estate developer who switched his registration from Republican to Democrat in January 2022, prior to announcing his mayoral campaign. He contributed $50,000 to the failed effort to recall LA District Attorney George Gascón earlier this year, and has given to anti-abortion candidates and leaders, including Republicans Senator Mitch McConnell and Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
The District
City: Los Angeles is Los Angeles County’s most populous city. Los Angeles’s mayor and city council oversee the needs of 3.9 million people and manage an estimated operating budget of $11.2 billion annually.
District demographics: As of the 2020 Census, Los Angeles had a demographic breakdown of 48% Latino, 12% Asian, and 9% Black.
Recent election results: Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles, voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 41 points and for Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018 by 44 points.
The Position
Los Angeles uses a mayor–city council government structure, in which the mayor is elected at large and acts as chair of the 15-member city council and as the city’s chief executive officer. The city council is responsible for establishing policy, passing local laws (called ordinances), voting on budget appropriations, and developing an overall vision for the city. The mayor of Los Angeles has veto and emergency powers and is responsible for managing dozens of departments and agencies. They also carry out ordinances, ensure coordination among different branches of city government, and submit an annual budget proposal to the L.A. City Council. In Los Angeles, a mayor is elected to a four-year term, with a limit of two consecutive terms.
Last updated: 2023-04-05
Endorsed By: Courage California
Courage California endorses Karen Bass for LA mayor to keep Los Angeles on the right track for progress.
Bass’s extensive experience and policy successes demonstrate that she is uniquely qualified to lead and will continue to be a progressive champion and govern in the best interest of this diverse city.
Progressive endorsements: Bass is endorsed by many progressive groups, including Courage California, California Working Families Party, LA Voice Action, California Women’s List, California Black Women’s Democratic Club, ACCE Action, Stonewall Democratic Club, and Westside Young Democrats, as well as the Los Angeles Times. She has also received the endorsement of many elected officials, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Katie Porter, State Senator Sydney Kamlager, and L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman.
Top issues: Homelessness and housing, workforce development, mental-health care access, public safety and criminal-justice reform, economic growth, clean energy, and sustainable environmental policy.
Priority bills: This year, Rep. Bass’s priorities for her congressional district, CD-37, have included 37 bills about crime and law enforcement, health care, foster care, and child welfare. Of these, nearly all are currently in committee.
Committee leadership/membership: In Congress, Rep. Bass currently serves on the Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees, and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Rep. Bass is former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and a member of a variety of legislative groups, including Medicare for All Caucus; Congressional Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Caucus; Congressional Progressive Caucus; and Congressional Social Work Caucus.
Governance and community leadership experience: Rep. Bass has served in Congress since 2010, when she was elected with over 86% of the vote. In 2020, she won her reelection against Republican challenger Errol Webber by 72 points.
Rep. Bass started her career as a nurse and a physician’s assistant, and was moved to action by the intimate view that her work provided of the crack epidemic in Los Angeles. In 1990, she founded Community Coalition, an organization she is still involved with today, to identify local solutions to the economic inequities that contribute to crime, addiction, violence, and poverty. Rep. Bass joined the State Assembly in 2004, and rose to the Speaker’s seat in 2008, as California was facing a severe recession. She was instrumental in negotiating a federal stimulus for Californians and passing legislation that secured affordable health care and improved child welfare services. During her six terms in Congress, Rep. Bass has established herself as an effective progressive leader, focusing much of her work on equity legislation. She has passed bills to protect the LGBTQIA+ community, has founded and co-chairs the bipartisan Caucus on Foster Youth, and has authored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to transform policing.
These experiences in health care, coalition-building, economic recovery, and racial-justice reform are the foundation of her approach to moving Los Angeles forward as mayor. Through a collaborative approach, her administration would focus on eliminating bureaucratic barriers to affordable housing development, working with individual communities to address local safety issues and hate-crime prevention, and tailoring interventions to support local economic recovery from COVID-19. In a city with both extreme wealth and extreme poverty, Rep. Bass’s policies would aim to narrow the economic gap and return dignity to individuals who have been failed by inefficient public systems. She is a longtime supporter of social equity and justice initiatives, and remains actively involved as a board member with the National Foster Youth Institute, which she co-founded.
Other background: Rep. Karen Bass is a lifelong resident of Los Angeles.
The Race
Primary election results: The June 2022 results included Rep. Karen Bass, 43%; Rick Caruso, 36%; Kevin de León, 8%; and Gina Viola, 7%. Rep. Karen Bass and Rick Caruso will compete in a run-off in the November 8 general election.
Candidate fundraising and pledges: Rep. Bass’s campaign has raised $5 million and is not funded by police, fossil fuel, or corporate PAC donors.
Opposing candidate: Rick Caruso
Opposing candidate’s fundraising and pledges: Caruso’s campaign has raised $41 million, including $40 million that he has donated personally to his campaign. He has not disclosed funding from any problematic donors. Caruso is a billionaire real estate developer who switched his registration from Republican to Democrat in January 2022, prior to announcing his mayoral campaign. He contributed $50,000 to the failed effort to recall LA District Attorney George Gascón earlier this year, and has given to anti-abortion candidates and leaders, including Republicans Senator Mitch McConnell and Rep. Kevin McCarthy.
The District
City: Los Angeles is Los Angeles County’s most populous city. Los Angeles’s mayor and city council oversee the needs of 3.9 million people and manage an estimated operating budget of $11.2 billion annually.
District demographics: As of the 2020 Census, Los Angeles had a demographic breakdown of 48% Latino, 12% Asian, and 9% Black.
Recent election results: Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles, voted for Joe Biden for president in 2020 by 41 points and for Gavin Newsom for governor in 2018 by 44 points.
The Position
Los Angeles uses a mayor–city council government structure, in which the mayor is elected at large and acts as chair of the 15-member city council and as the city’s chief executive officer. The city council is responsible for establishing policy, passing local laws (called ordinances), voting on budget appropriations, and developing an overall vision for the city. The mayor of Los Angeles has veto and emergency powers and is responsible for managing dozens of departments and agencies. They also carry out ordinances, ensure coordination among different branches of city government, and submit an annual budget proposal to the L.A. City Council. In Los Angeles, a mayor is elected to a four-year term, with a limit of two consecutive terms.
Last updated: 2023-04-05
Endorsed By: Courage California
