Karen Bass was sworn in as mayor of Los Angeles on Sunday, becoming the first woman and second Black person to lead the city.
At a large ceremony at Microsoft Theater, against a backdrop of City Hall, Bass took the oath administered by Vice President Kamala Harris, and planned to talk about how Los Angeles was at an “inflection point” as it faces problems of homelessness and housing.
She plans to declare a state of emergency on homelessness on Monday as her first act as mayor. The move will “create the structure necessary for us to have a true, unified and citywide strategy to set us on the path to solve homelessness,” she plans to say, according to prepared remarks.
“If we are going to bring Angelenos inside and move our city in a new direction, we must have a single strategy to unite our city and county and engage the state, the federal government, the private sector and every other stakeholder,” she plans to say.
The ceremony included a performance by Stevie Wonder, who sang Keep Our Love Alive, which he has performed in tribute to Nelson Mandela.
More to come.