Karen Bass wins seat in the 112th Congress
Unofficial results put Bass in the seat
LOS ANGELES, Calif.— Congratulations to Our Weekly endorsed candidate, Congresswoman Elect Karen Bass for stomping out the competition for a seat in the 112th Congress.
Based on unofficial election results, Bass was favored by voters within California’s 33rd District and stomped out the competition with an 86 percent vote with 100 percent of all precincts reporting.
The new Congresswoman said her secret was her relationship with Los Angeles, teamwork, and support.
“I think having worked in the community for decades and having a strong team of volunteers and leadership among those volunteers (helped), and of course with the support of Congresswoman (Diane Watson).”
Throughout her campaign, Watson has shown her unwavering support for the former Speaker.
“I am very humbled and grateful that I was successful and for the percentage of the votes I received. I am very, very, very grateful for Congresswoman Watson,” Bass added.
The newly elected Congresswoman is upon the legacy of what many Los Angeles natives may call a strong leadership in Watson, who has graciously mentored Bass through the process. But upon entering a new realm of leadership, she also has a bit of a challenge before her with a House that is controlled by the Republican Party.
Despite that reality, Bass is determined to do what she promised.
“It’s going to be very interesting to see because the Republican Party is divided,” she explained. “You have the extreme right wing with Tea Party members who were elected and the Republican leadership. It could swing hard right or more moderate.”
Bass believes despite the apparent division, the Republican Party will continue to push their agenda and attempt to limit President Barack Obama’s term to one.
She said that does not scare her from doing what she has to do.
When OW spoke with Bass Wednesday morning, she was already on the job. When asked what are you going to do to celebrate, she said, “Work. It’s day one of the job.”
Passionate about foster care, Bass plans to continue addressing the issue on a national level. She also said her main objectives include finding resources for jobs and transportation in Los Angeles.
In the past few months, African American politicians, including Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), have been under fire with ethics investigations. Bass is hopeful for her peers saying “they will be fine” and she believes the Black community has a chance as transitions are being made. She said with the recent changes, the Black Caucus is looking strong, making up 20 percent of the total Democratic Caucus.
“We are going to have an opportunity,” she said. “It’s never useful to fold your arms and give up. That’s not useful to anyone.”
Bass is a local grown woman who graduated from Hamilton High School and received her bachelors of science degree from California State Dominguez Hills. She continued her education at the University of Southern California School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program. She has worked countless years within the communities of Los Angeles and is known for establishing the Community Coalition, a community-based social justice organization.
The Republican Party is about to return from a two-year banishment to political Siberia, back into the mainstream as it seats its House majority for the 112th Congress.
While change has occurred in the past two years (no matter what the rhetoricians say), and it has ben some of the most progressive change in recent congressional history, mind you; the Republicans spent most of their time trying to find the tail they lost in the 2008 presidential elections.
Danny K. Tabor pulled away with a win in the mayor’s race Tuesday claiming 43 percent of the vote.
He beat out runner-up James Butts, who was able to garner 31 percent. Councilwoman Judy Dunlap came in a distant third with 15 percent of the votes cast.
Aboput 20,000 of the 50,000 registered voters participated in the race, putting Tabor back in the mayor’s seat after the two-month term he was already serving as a result of a special election in September.
In addition to her full time job as a mother, Holly Mitchell is also the CEO of Crystal Stairs, the largest childcare development non-profit organization in California, and sits as a member of the board of directors of the Liberty Hill Foundation, Verbum Dei High School in Watts, and the national advisory council of Breast Cancer Action.
Mitchell has dedicated her life to helping working families in California and hopes to do more of that as the 47th District Assembly representative. Following are her views on key issues in the state.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is currently conducting a series of meetings with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in an effort to put an end to what he says are Rush Limbaugh’s racist rants that have become routine on his radio show.
Sharpton recently appeared on MSNBC, where he and host Ed Schultz discussed their disapproval of Limbaugh, as well as Sharpton’s efforts with the FCC.
“We have a series of meetings going on, and we’re going to see the FCC next week,” Sharpton said.
There are clearly more important immediate things for the California Black community to worry about—the level of involvement of the L.A. Sheriff’s Department in the kidnap, murder and possible rape of Mitrice Richardson; electing Danny Tabor and finally ending the seemingly endless mayoral election process in Inglewood; and getting the votes finally counted between Harris and Cooley, for example.
Nevertheless, as evolving political analysts, it is important for us to keep up with the whole process, from federal to water district level.
