Vice President Kamala Harris, shown here with Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rep. Karen Bass at a political rally at UCLA on Nov. 7, 2022, will swear in Bass as L.A.’s 43rd mayor on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Vice President Kamala Harris will perform the ceremonial swearing-in of Los Angeles Mayor-elect Karen Bass during her inauguration on Sunday, Dec. 11 – a moment that will be filled with historical significance.
Bass, a six-term congresswoman, is the first woman and only the second Black person to be elected mayor of L.A. in the city’s 241-year history. Similarly, Harris is the first woman, and first woman of color, to serve as vice president of the United States.
Sunday’s event, announced by the Office of the Mayor-elect, won’t be the first time that Harris, a California native who owns a home in L.A., has appeared alongside Bass on her journey to the mayor’s office.
The vice president had endorsed the congresswoman for mayor and joined Bass at a rally the day before Election Day and again on Election Day to show her support for the mayoral candidate.
Besides Harris, Bass was endorsed by a number of other big-name politicians, including President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Bass handily defeated developer Rick Caruso in what many had expected to be a tight race to become the 43rd mayor of L.A. She will take over for outgoing Mayor Eric Garcetti, another Democrat.
According to final vote counts certified by the L.A. County registrar’s office Monday, Bass won with 509,944 votes (54.83% of the votes) while Caruso received 420,030 votes (45.17%).
Although Bass’ term as mayor won’t start until Monday, Dec. 12, she will hold her inaugural ceremony a day early “to make it easier for Angelenos to attend and to ensure her first day as mayor is dedicated to bringing unhoused Angelenos inside and making our city safer and more livable for all,” the Office of the Mayor-elect said in a news release.
Bass had previously pledged to declare a state of emergency to combat L.A.’s homelessness crisis her first day on the job.
Sunday’s ceremony, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., will be held in front of the Spring Street entrance to City Hall, at 200 N. Spring St. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend, according to Zach Seidl, Bass’ spokesperson.
Members of the public who would like to attend should reserve a spot at mobilize.us/karenbass. Space is limited.
In addition to preparing for Bass’ inauguration, her office launched a job portal over the weekend for individuals interested in working in her administration or volunteering on a city commission. For information, visit jobs.lamayor.org.
Originally published at Linh Tat