Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass launched her re-election campaign on Monday, saying she is seeking a second four-year term while continuing to “deliver the change Angelenos deserve.”
In a fundraising email to supporters, Bass said her administration, less than 19 months in office, has made significant progress on homelessness, public safety, city service delivery and other issues.
“I’m running for a second term because we can’t stop our momentum,” said Bass, who takes office in December 2022.
Bass filed paperwork Monday to form a fundraising committee for the June 2026 mayoral election. If she fails to get 50% of the vote in the primary, she will face her opponent in a November runoff.
Three days after the mayor launched the fundraiser, officials reported that the number of “homeless” homeless people – people living in tents, vehicles and makeshift structures – across the city was down 10.4% compared to last year . As part of the mayor’s “internal security” plan, many people have been moved into hotels, motels and other forms of temporary housing.
“Working together, we have reduced the number of homeless people on our streets for the first time in years — thousands more last year than the year before,” she said in an email.
The overall decline in homelessness was 2.2 percent, within the margin of error of the homeless count conducted in January.
Bass also touted her work in the email to implement Directive 1, which is rapidly approving affordable housing and reducing homicides, as well as her efforts to work with city, state and federal agencies.
The fundraising period for the 2026 primary election begins on June 2 to raise money for offices across the city (Mayor, City Attorney and City Controller). City Council candidates running in the 2026 election have until December to start raising money for their campaigns.
In the last election, Bass significantly outspent her opponent, billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso, who poured in more than $108 million, much of it himself money. The amount is more than 10 times what Bass’ campaign spent, according to figures released by the city’s Ethics Commission.
Representative Caruso had no comment when contacted by The Times about the 2026 election. Last fall, Caruso told POLITICO that he wouldn’t rule out running for office again.
