Speaker Karen Bass To Run For Congress

Sunday, March 14, 2010 published in Inglewood Today   
By Inglewood Staff   

California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass has announced that she is running for a Los Angeles-area congressional seat.  

The 56-year-old Karen Bass is a Democrat and declared her candidacy for the 33rd Congressional District seat on Wednesday in Los Angeles. 
Bass has already picked up an endorsement from Congresswoman Diane Watson, the Democrat who holds the seat and will retire at year's end.

“One of the reasons why I’m excited about serving now is with President Obama and with both houses of Congress, I think there is the ability to get a lot done in areas like foster care. I look forward to working on those issues when I go to Washington D.C.,” stated an enthusiastic Bass.

Upon entering the House race, Bass has been tagged a favorite to replace Watson in a seat that has been held for years by black politicians. Watson enthusiastically voiced her confidence in Bass telling those gathered that she supports her bid 100 percent maybe 300 percent. Bass is the first black woman to lead the Assembly and will step down as Speaker on March 1, 2010 but will remain in office until later this year. According to the Los Angeles times Bass told supporters at her Mid-Wilshire office that running for the diverse 33rd Congressional District seat was a very, very humbling moment and that if she follows Watson, she would have very big shoes to fill.

Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas also announced his endorsement of  Assembly Speaker Bass for California’s 33rd Congressional District, calling Speaker Bass one of the finest leaders anywhere in California. In endorsing Speaker Bass, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said, Karen’s abundant strengths as a public servant have always been her willingness and desire to listen carefully to the people she serves coupled with her ability to act swiftly, forcefully, and sensitively to meet the needs her diverse constituents. Speaker Bass has my full support as she seeks to succeed Congresswoman Diane Watson in the House of Representatives to serve the needs of the people of the 33rd Congressional District.
 
Karen Bass honed her considerable legislative and political skills in the neighborhoods of South Los Angeles. Karen organized local residents to battle against the concentration and proliferation of liquor stores. She mounted vigorous campaigns against motel owners who failed to curb criminal activity at their neighborhood establishments. She worked shoulder-to-shoulder with residents to reduce violence and promote strategies and programs to improve the quality of life in South L.A., Supervisor Ridley-Thomas said. Supervisor Ridley-Thomas also stated, it took a very special person to lead the community coalition that took on those challenges, and many more. But Karen mastered the art of organizing. She summoned the will of the people. She worked to bring about real change and deliver results where it matters most in the community where people live and work with their families, friends and neighbors.  "As a state legislator, Karen Bass has been the state's foremost champion for foster children. Most recently, she helped to secure critical support and the vote of the UC Regents to help establish a new Martin Luther King Hospital that will deliver urgently needed health and emergency medical services to millions of County residents," Supervisor Ridley-Thomas added.
 
During her political career, Speaker Bass has authored responsible legislation to aid causes of concern to her and her constituents and the people of California. These include bills improving conditions and services for youth in California’s foster care system; helping stop predatory lending practices; keeping the real estate industry accountable to consumers; working to reduce dropouts by expanding multiple pathways in high school to prepare students for college, career and civic responsibility; establishing the Firefighter Bill of Rights, and removing barriers to allowing low-risk offenders to return productively to their communities. The Speaker also prioritizes fiscal responsibility, which is why she authored legislation to eliminate some of the red tape faced by small businesses by allowing them to avoid duplicate certification forms for the city and the state.