Bass Wins No Matter The Vote Result

DEEGAN ON LA—While Mayor Karen Bass will win or lose the vote on November 3, her legacy may win the day. It’s a legacy that, with a few glaring events, will be a hard act to follow.

A volunteer for Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign led to several years as a community organizer before Bass entered elective politics in 2004 when she was elected to represent California’s 47th State Assembly district (2004). Four years later, she became Speaker of the Assembly (2008).  Bass was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (2011–2022) and then to Mayor of Los Angeles (2022–present).

If she wins another term, she will cap off a significant political career. If she loses, it will jump start the political future of LA which is that LA’s political power base at City Hall would be led by a person that identifies with a version of “socialism”.

In either scenario, Bass may age well politically. Her record, dating back over decades, reflects many achievements for Los Angeles.

The Mayor’s opponent, although representing the inevitable attempted movement to the left of left, is the wrong candidate representing the right future.

In her six years in office, Councilmember Nithya Raman (CD4) has often flexed the wrong way, especially on not enforcing ordinances against the homeless and most recently by attacking the Police Chief.

Her political behavior—called by many “opportunistic”— tracks with her original position on policing which was to “defund LAPD”.

Picking on Chief Jim McDonnell now and making him a campaign issue—is he or is he not a “fascist”—feels opportunistic which is a behavior, along with “flip-flopping”, that often identifies Raman.

Her insinuation is one more example of the opportunism that dogs her. She voted to hire McDonnell in a city council vote in November 2024.

In a Raman-esqe political world the millions of visitors to LA in 18 months for the Summer Olympics could be seeing an overabundance of homeless and an underwhelming local police presence. This over/under is a bad bet for residents and visitors alike.

Alternatively, Bass has left footprints not only in City Hall but also in Sacramento and Washington and she knows how to call upon those first-hand political relationships to get help from the state and federal partners she has cultivated over decades.

If the city needs additional public safety forces at the time of the Olympics that’s more likely to be managed by Bass and her rolodex than by Raman and her non-profile in Sacramento and Washington. Bass can get POTUS on the phone. And the Governor, and, and, and…

While the growing homeless crisis is a public preoccupation, equally unsettling is a concern for public safety and this could be the difference between winning and loosing not only a mayoral race but a city’s reputation.

This is where the danger starts, with a candidate that attacks the LAPD Chief by insinuating fascism, and flip flops of whether or not, if elected mayor, she would support him remaining in his position or move to replace him.

Rumors now follow her that ditching the chief would open the door for Raman to hire George Gascon, the former DA that had a soft on crime vibe and was voted out of office in the 2024 election after just one term. He had been elected in 2020, the same year as Raman’s first electoral victory.

Chief Jim McDonnell has spent forty-five years in policing. In the past dozen years he’s been the top cop in the region, as Sheriff of Los Angeles County (2014) and Chief of LAPD (2024). En route to these leadership positions he was Chief of Police for Long Beach (2010).

It took an eight-month long search before the mayor hired McDonnell. He’s been in the position two years.

A Mayor Raman’s disabuse of and possible sacking of the chief and meddling with LAPD would come as a blow to public safety just when the political establishment needs to be on the same page and the public, including millions of Olympics visitors, need to feel safe.

Win or lose, Bass will be a tough act for Raman to follow if elected to succeed her, as Bass wins the legacy race.

(Tim Deegan is a longtime civic activist and columnist whose Deegan on LA feature has been a staple of CityWatchLA for over a decade. With a focus on Los Angeles city politics and neighborhood issues, Deegan brings thoughtful analysis and grassroots perspective to every column. His work highlights the voices of local communities and the impact of City Hall decisions on everyday Angelenos. He can be reached at [email protected].)