[Preview] Karen Bass Wants Four More Years. Los Angeles Deserves Better. It Has To Have Better.

After three years of higher costs, declining public confidence, and repeated failures, the mayor now wants voters to overlook her record and focus on her words instead.

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Due to a user error (mine), some of you may get this twice. My profound apologies. You would think after nearly eight months, I would have this down.

⏱️ 6-minute read

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The Announcement Everyone Expected — and the Record It Avoids

This weekend, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass officially launched her re-election campaign with a downtown rally focused on familiar topics: affordability, safety, and challenging Washington. The announcement was expected, the timing made sense, and her message was crafted to show confidence and certainty.

But she has not seriously addressed the problems facing the city she wants to lead for the next 4 years, other than, perhaps, to make them worse

By any fair measure, Karen Bass has been a poor mayor for Angelenos. Since she took office, the city has become less affordable, less functional, and less ready for the future. The difference between her promises and what she has delivered is obvious.

As I reviewed the mayor’s record for this column, it quickly became clear that there is too much to cover in just one piece. This overview is meant to give a big-picture look, not every detail. As the campaign continues, we’ll have time to dig deeper into these issues. For now, the goal is to step back and see how much has gone wrong under this administration.

And yet, that record alone may not prevent her from being re-elected. Bass starts this race as the clear favorite, backed by powerful groups, public-sector unions, and a political scene that often values appearances over real results. But being likely to win is not the same as deserving it. Before the campaign turns into a battle of slogans and turnout, we should take a closer look at her record.

Because when you do, the list is not short. It is overwhelming.

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What paid subscribers will see below:

• Why Los Angeles now costs more while delivering less

• How union power quietly constrains reform at City Hall

• What homelessness spending reveals about accountability failures

• Why public safety capacity is shrinking as global events approach

• How governance scandals and oversight breakdowns drain public trust

• The unresolved Olympic cost exposure facing taxpayers

• Why political inevitability keeps failing leaders in office