Seeking reelection, L.A. Mayor Bass calls herself 'an activist fighting for change'

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, 72, is seeking a second term in the Nov.3 election, after being forced into a runoff by City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a onetime ally.

A former state Assembly speaker and member of Congress, Bass became the city’s first female mayor in 2022, when she defeated billionaire developer Rick Caruso.Once in office, she focused much of her energy on reducing homelessness and bolstering the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department.In 2025, she faced sharp criticism over the city’s response to the January Palisades fire, and for being in Ghana when the fire began amid high wind warnings.

The Times spoke with her on the seventh floor of an apartment building under construction in West Los Angeles — one made possible by her order fast-tracking approval of affordable housing.The interview has been edited for length and clarity.The Times: What is your single biggest accomplishment as mayor?Bass: Well, it’s hard for me to narrow it to just one.

But I do think this [building] is a perfect example of a huge accomplishment, which is affordable housing.And the fact that we have built more affordable housing in the four years that I’ve been mayor than was built many, many years before.Really, the accomplishment was changing the rules and expediting [affordable] housing.The Times: And what would you say is the biggest mistake you made while serving as mayor?Bass: No question.

Not being here for the fire, and being out of the country.The Times: Why, or how, do you think that happened?Bass: How do I think it happened that I was out of the country?The Times: There were warnings about wind.There was concern about fire risk.

Some on your staff received those warnings.Bass: It happened in the city and in the county, that there were warnings.But no one thought those warnings elevated to...