Karen Bass
Credit: Metro
Mayor of the City of Los Angeles
More about Metro appointmentsAbout Karen Bass
Karen Bass is the 43rd Mayor of Los Angeles and the first woman and second African American to be elected as the city's chief executive. With an agenda focused on bringing urgency, accountability, and a new direction to Los Angeles, she will start her term with a focus on housing people immediately and increasing safety and opportunity in every part of Los Angeles.
A daughter of our city, Mayor Bass was raised with her three brothers in the Venice/Fairfax neighborhood and is a proud graduate of Hamilton High School. After serving as a front-line healthcare provider as a nurse and as a Physician Assistant, Mayor Bass founded the Community Coalition to organize the predominantly Black and Latino residents of South L.A. against substance abuse, poverty and crime, and to pioneer strategies to address the root causes behind the challenges faced by underserved neighborhoods.
She then went on to represent Los Angeles in the State Assembly and was elected by her peers to serve as Speaker, making her the first African American woman to ever lead a state legislative body in the history of the United States. Her time in leadership intersected with the Great Recession, and she was honored with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for reaching across party lines and making tough decisions to keep the state from bankruptcy while protecting vital services.
While representing Los Angeles and Culver City in Congress, Mayor Bass helped protect small businesses during the pandemic, created policy to drive local jobs from federal infrastructure funding, and led the passage of what the Los Angeles Times called “the most significant child welfare policy reform in decades.”
Mayor Bass earned her bachelor's degree in health sciences from CSU Dominguez Hills before graduating from the USC Keck School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program and earning her masters degree in social work from USC.
Mayor Bass’s oldest daughter Emilia planned to follow in her mother’s footsteps working for social change. The Mayor-elect continues to be inspired by Emilia and her son-in-law Michael’s passion for life. She has three other children, Scythia, Omar and Yvette, and two grandchildren, Michael and Henry, who live in the Los Angeles area.
Board Reports
Board reports acted upon most recently by committees to which Karen Bass belongs
2026-0409 - HOMELESS OUTREACH MANAGEMENT & ENGAGEMENT (HOME) QUARTERLY REPORT Received
7/16/2026 - RECEIVED AND FILED
Beverly Hills Council Of Governments Downtown Long Beach Station Gateway Cities (Southeast LA County) Service Sector Gateway Cities subregion Homeless Outreach Housing Informational Report Long Beach Los Angeles Union Station Mean Down Time Metro Divisions Metro Rail A Line Metro Rail D Line Outreach Partnerships Pomona Students Surveys Transit Homeless Action Plan Westside Cities subregion Westside/Central Service Sector2026-0473 - FEDERAL AND STATE REPORT Received
7/16/2026 - RECEIVED AND FILED
Budgeting Capital Project Federal Transit Administration Grant Aid Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Housing Informational Report Metro Center Street Project New Starts Program Olympic games Program Project Safety and security Security Senate Bill 2320 Transit buses United States Department Of Transportation Witnesses2026-0089 - FY2027 COMMITTEE AND BOARD MEETING CALENDAR Received
2026-0217 - STATION NAMING RIGHTS - CATHAY PACIFIC Withdrawn
WITHDRAWN: APPROVE the Cathay Pacific Corporate Sponsorship Proposal for the naming rights of the LAX/Metro Transit Center Station for five years upon execution of the agreement.
5/21/2026 - WITHDRAWN
Advertising Budgeting Culver City Station Digital displays Intersections LAX/Metro Transit Center Station Los Angeles International Airport Maintenance Maintenance practices Maps Metro Rail E Line Metro Rail K Line Partnerships Policy Protection Purchasing Transit authorities Transit centers