For Black Angelenos, election of Karen Bass brings joy in a divisive time. But they want results, too.
“Karen Bass is the real deal. She’s real, black and sexy!” said Toni Jackson, a black woman who represents parts of South Los Angeles in the City Council. Jackson supports Bass for the council seat.
Bass’s ascension to the City Council has sparked controversy in Black and Latino Angelenos, who say she’s been too “PC” in her handling of issues such as homelessness, and too quick to anger and criticize the mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa.
“When you vote for a woman who has the political clout to change a law that is not a law, then you have a woman that can make history,” said Juanita Jackson, another black woman who represents parts of South L.A., and who supports Bass.
But for Jackson, a successful businesswoman who has dealt with homelessness and gentrification, the mayor and the council’s handling of housing has not been the issue. She wants to know what will happen next with the mayor and the council because the Black Angelenos who work on the council want to change the culture and policies of the city.
“We need to get up off the couch and take a look at our politics, take a look at our politicians,” said Toni Jackson. “It is time to show [the mayor] we are not going to stand idly by as he is trying to take it all.”
‘It’s good for all people’
“This is a big challenge for everyone,” said Angela Bass. “The city of L.A. is a big challenge for everyone. This is for all people. We’re all the same.”
The first African-American woman elected to the City Council in Los Angeles, Bass, 55, has worked as a community organizer and lobbyist on city issues, including helping residents in South L.A. with the homeless problem. Bass, who is also black, worked with the L.A. Unified School District to get new school buildings built, and has supported arts and cultural programs at the Los Angeles Public Library
