Bass gets mayoral endorsement from former California senator

Former California Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) on Friday endorsed Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) to be the next mayor of Los Angeles, just days after Bass formally announced her candidacy.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with her over the years and can personally attest that she has exactly what it takes to be a great mayor: intelligence, experience, compassion and toughness. Karen is a uniter at a time when we desperately need that rare skill,” Boxer said in a statement.

Bass announced on Monday via Twitter that she was entering the race to run for mayor of Los Angeles after weeks of speculation. She had previously hinted that she was strongly considering the move in late August during an interview with KPCC/LAist. 

Bass, who previously chaired the Congressional Black Caucus, was considered among a handful of potential vice presidential candidates for then-candidate Joe Biden before Kamala Harris was named.

She was also among a group of three lawmakers who held bipartisan talks on police reform this year, though they announced last month that those talks fell through.

Bass’s run for Los Angeles mayor comes after the city’s current mayor, Eric Garcetti (D), was tapped to be the U.S. ambassador to India by President Biden in July, though his nomination has not been confirmed yet in the Senate. 

Among the list of contenders also vying for the position are City Councilman Joe Buscaino (D) and Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer (D).

So far, Bass also has received endorsements from several California Democratic House members, including Reps. Pete Aguilar, Judy Chu, Mike Levin, Ted Lieu, Alan Lowenthal, Katie Porter, Lucille Roybal-Allard and Juan Vargas, according to her campaign website.