Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff join Karen Bass for her campaign at UCLA in Los Angeles on Monday, November 7, 2022. Credit: Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News/Getty Images
(CNN) --
Vice President Kamala Harris will swear in Karen Bass as Los Angeles' 43rd mayor in an inauguration ceremony on Sunday, bringing together two Democratic women who have broken barriers in politics.
Bass will make history as the first female mayor of Los Angeles, also making her the first woman of color to hold the position.
Harris, the second black United States senator, made history when she became the first woman, the first black woman and the first South Asian to serve as vice president.
Bass, who will succeed Mayor Eric Garcetti, will begin his term on December 12.
When he takes office, the four largest US cities will have black mayors, including New York City's Eric Adams, Chicago's Lori Lightfoot and Houston's Sylvester Turner.
Bass, who was elected to the California State Assembly in 2004, made history some four years later by becoming the first black woman to serve as speaker of any state legislature.
Democrat Karen Bass makes history as Los Angeles' first female mayor
Bass alluded to her story of scoops shortly after winning her race when she told reporters that the achievement of becoming Los Angeles' first female mayor was still "taking her in."
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“When you are in a position like this, and I was in a similar position when I was sworn in as a speaker, it means you have additional responsibility.
You always have to make sure you maintain excellence every step of the way,” Bass said.
"The path you follow is laying the foundation for those who come after you."
After his victory, Bass vowed to solve the homelessness crisis in the country's second-largest city.
“She will hold her inauguration ceremony on Sunday to make it easy for Angelenos to attend and ensure that her first day as Mayor is dedicated to reaching out to homeless Angelenos and making our city safer and more livable for all,” said the office of the mayor-elect in a statement announcing the ceremony.
The six-term congresswoman, who currently represents South and West Los Angeles, defeated real estate developer Rick Caruso in last month's general election.
Caruso spent more than $104 million, outscoring his opponent more than 11-1.
During his campaign, Bass drew on his experience bringing together Black and Latino community organizers in South Los Angeles in the early 1990s to address the root causes of crime and the crack epidemic.
He was able to build a winning coalition of black voters in South Los Angeles and white progressives on the city's West Side to help overcome Caruso's massive spending.
The mayor-elect began her career as a physician assistant in the Los Angeles County emergency room.
Joe Biden approached Bass, then the speaker of the black caucus of Congress, to be his running mate in 2020 as he helped lead negotiations on legislation to create greater police accountability following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Karen Bass
