"I plan to deliver," projected LA Mayor Karen Bass says weeks before her inauguration
With less than a month until she takes over the city, Congresswoman Karen Bass, who will soon be Los Angeles' newest mayor, acknowledged that she has little time to assemble a team to tackle the crises at hand.
"The swearing-in is so soon, it's three weeks away," said Bass. "The race was only just declared a week ago, so it's really only been a few days."
As she probes possible candidates for her leadership and transition team, Bass has very little time to waste. After a hard-fought victory, she knows that there are high expectations for her, with residents looking to her to solve the city's major issues, especially the homeless crisis and crime.
However, she shared her concern that many expect these issues to be solved overnight.
"Angelenos are so frustrated. There is so much pent-up urgency to see something happen immediately," she said. "Part of my job is going to communicate with Angelenos exactly what I'm doing, exactly what the timeline is, so I manage expectations. But at the same time, I plan to deliver."
Part of that plan is fulfilling her campaign promise of declaring a state of emergency to combat the homeless crisis on her first day in office.
"This would essentially allow all of the departments to come together so that we can expedite things," Bass said. "We need to fast-track things. We need to move past the bureaucracy — bureaucracy stands in the way. It takes so long to do anything here when it comes to development. Any developer would tell you that, whether it's a nonprofit, for-profit developer."
Bass will take office with a City Council still mired in controversy following the racist recording of council members and a labor leader. One of the members in the middle of the controversial recording, Councilman Kevin de León, has refused to resign despite protestors' vehement demands.
The incoming mayor expressed her uncertainty about the future of the council.
"I think the protesters have been clear," she said. "But I also think members of the council have been clear. So, we will see. But it does represent one of the flaws in our charter. I believe down the line we will do charter reform and have to figure out.
Bass acknowledged the weight of the moment. She recognizes the fact that she is the first woman, and African American woman, to lead the city.
