Opinion: Why Karen Bass Deserves to Be a One-Term Mayor
Black Angelenos disparities persist and worsened under Mayor Karen Bass
After four years under Mayor Karen Bass, the city’s challenges—homelessness, public safety, housing affordability, and basic governance competence—have not been solved but, in many cases, exposed or exacerbated by leadership failures. With the June 2026 primary approaching, voters should send a clear message: one term is plenty.
Why Karen Bass Deserves to Be a One-Term Mayor
Black Angelenos experience LA’s core problems—homelessness crisis, housing unaffordability, public safety concerns, and slow economic mobility—more acutely due to longstanding disparities. Bass has prioritized equity rhetoric, homelessness initiatives, and police hiring, with some citywide wins in crime and unsheltered counts. However, on disparity-specific metrics (Black homelessness share, poverty spike, elevated unemployment), the record shows stagnation or regression rather than clear progress after 3.5 years.
Polls (e.g., UCLA Luskin, March 2026) show Bass retaining stronger support among Black voters (~53%) compared to her overall low approval ratings. This reflects symbolic importance as the first Black female mayor and her community organizing background, but loyalty does not equal transformative results.
One of the most disappointing aspects of Mayor Karen Bass’s tenure is her failure to deliver meaningful progress for Black Angelenos—the very community that gave her strong support and for whom she has professed deep commitment.
Black residents make up roughly 8-9% of Los Angeles’s population but continue to comprise around 32% of the city and county’s homeless population. This staggering overrepresentation has not meaningfully narrowed under Bass. In fact, one 2025 analysis documented a 16% surge in Black homelessness, adding over 3,000 Black individuals to the streets. Despite the much-touted Inside Safe program and claims of an 17-18% drop in unsheltered homelessness citywide, returns to the street remain high and visible encampments, open drug use, and related chaos still plague neighborhoods with significant Black populations.
Economic conditions tell an even bleaker story. The poverty rate for Black residents in LA County jumped sharply from 29% to 36.2% during Bass’s time in office — a seven-point increase that outpaced other demographic groups. Black unemployment rates remain roughly double those of White and Asian residents, with local figures in South LA frequently reaching 20% or higher. Median household incomes for Black families continue to lag significantly, and housing affordability pressures have hit Black renters and homeowners especially hard.
While overall homicides in Los Angeles have declined from their 2022 peaks — a welcome citywide trend that has undoubtedly saved Black lives given disproportionate victimization rates — broader public safety concerns remain. Street disorder, slow response times in some areas, and quality-of-life breakdowns tied to homelessness continue to erode daily life in Black neighborhoods.
Education outcomes show only modest, incremental gains in areas like graduation rates through targeted programs, but massive achievement gaps in reading and math proficiency persist, alongside high chronic absenteeism.
Despite these sobering realities, recent polls show Bass retaining relatively stronger support among Black voters compared to her dismal overall approval ratings. This reflects the symbolic importance of electing LA’s first Black female mayor and her background in community organizing. However, symbolism and rhetoric have not translated into tangible results. After nearly four years, Black Angelenos are not demonstrably better off on the metrics that matter most: housing stability, economic security, family safety, and upward mobility.
The data reveals continuity of hardship more than breakthrough progress. Deeply rooted challenges existed long before Bass took office, but that does not excuse the lack of decisive improvement on her watch. Billions spent, equity rhetoric delivered daily, and yet the disparities that hurt Black families the most remain stubbornly entrenched — or in key cases, have grown worse. Los Angeles’s Black community deserved better.
Black Angelenos experience LA’s core problems—homelessness crisis, housing unaffordability, public safety concerns, and slow economic mobility—more acutely due to longstanding disparities. Bass has prioritized equity rhetoric, homelessness initiatives, and police hiring, with some citywide wins in crime and unsheltered counts. However, on disparity-specific metrics (Black homelessness share, poverty spike, elevated unemployment), the record shows stagnation or regression rather than clear progress after 3.5 years.
Voters should recognize that four more years of the same approach will likely deliver the same disappointing outcomes. Karen Bass had her opportunity to lead transformative change. The results speak for themselves.
The Palisades Fire Catastrophe
The defining failure of Bass’s tenure came on January 7, 2025, when the Palisades Fire erupted under extreme Santa Ana wind conditions. While the National Weather Service had issued clear warnings of “critical fire conditions,” Mayor Bass was in Ghana attending a presidential inauguration. She later called the trip a mistake, but the damage was done: 12 people killed, thousands of homes destroyed, and neighborhoods devastated.
The Bottom Line
Voters in 2022 chose Bass hoping for compassion and competence. What they got was a continuation of decline punctuated by spectacular failures. The city’s tourism slump, ongoing affordability crisis, and visible disorder reflect poorly on four years of her priorities. It’s time for fresh leadership. Karen Bass had her chance. Los Angeles cannot afford four more years of the same. One term is more than enough.
Voters now have a choice in the June 2026 primary between incumbent Karen Bass, progressive City Councilmember Nithya Raman, and outsider Spencer Pratt. Voters should choose wisely!