Mayor, City of LA

Bass took office in December as the city’s 43rd mayor – and first
woman in that post – defeating billionaire shopping mall magnate Rick
Caruso in a campaign focused on dealing with the city’s intractable
homeless crisis. Her first official act was to declare a state of emergency
on homelessness. A Los Angeles native, Bass drew notice as a
community organizer. She won election to the state Assembly in 2004
and served two years as Assembly Speaker. She won election to Congress
in 2010, serving South Los Angeles and Culver City. One of the
highlights of her six terms in Congress was leading the passage of a
child welfare reform package.

YEARS ON THE LA500: 1