“I always look to history. I always look to my ancestors, what people had to endure in this country. It is such a privilege to be the mayor. This is the last office I will ever run for, and when I’m done with this phase of my life, I’ll continue to be involved.”
-Mayor Karen Bass, episode 426 of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso
It’s been a year in Los Angeles. Between the historic wildfires, rapid recovery efforts, and the ICE raids over the summer, Mayor Karen Bass has been tasked with moving at a breakneck speed to meet the demands of a city in peril.
The Mayor joins us this week to reflect on her office’s response to ICE in Los Angeles (7:00), the federalization of thousands of National Guard troops by the Trump administration (11:20), and the ongoing legal battle now being waged in court (15:00). We also discuss the city’s “rapid rebuilding efforts” in the aftermath of the January wildfires (21:45), lessons learned from the historic catastrophe (25:50), and why she cut through “federal red tape” (28:48) to push forth her Inside Safe program designed to reduce homelessness (30:20).
On the back-half, we get into some of Bass’ personal story: coming of age in the Venice/Fairfax area of Los Angeles (36:30), working in emergency rooms during the crack epidemic of the 1980s (46:00), and her six terms in Congress representing various Los Angeles districts (58:00), all while navigating unimaginable personal loss (54:00). To close, the Mayor discusses her ongoing mission to end homelessness (1:00:00), the promise and potential of the 2028 Olympics (1:04:00), and where she finds the strength to continue fighting for the city that raised her (1:04:45).
This episode was recorded at Spotify Studios. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at mail@talkeasypod.com.
Watch this conversation on YouTube:
Show-notes:
- Find Mayor Bass’ work on her website.
- Learn about the ACLU’s lawsuit against the Trump administration’s immigration raids.
- Find resources for those impacted by the LA wildfires.
- Follow Mayor Bass on Instagram, Twitter, and Threads.
- For more talks, hear our episodes with Elizabeth Warren, Ava DuVernay, and Beto O’Rourke.
- Order your Talk Easy mug in cream or navy or our vinyl record with Fran Lebowitz.
Illustrations by Krishna Shenoi. Reference photograph by María Alvarez.
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