Karen Bass will be sworn in Sunday as Los Angeles’ first female mayor in a ceremony to be officiated by Vice President Kamala Harris and feature a special musical performance by Stevie Wonder.
The historic inauguration was originally scheduled to take place outside Los Angeles City Hall, but because of the rain, it was moved to the Microsoft Theater, with stage elements from the recent 2022 Game Awards repurposed for the event.
In addition to Wonder’s performance, the event will also feature performances by a diverse range of artists, including singer-songwriter Chloe Bailey, the Hamilton High School Choir, vocal duo the Mary Mary, the band Las Cafeteras and the U.S. Navy Band.
The national anthem will be performed by US Navy Musician 3rd Class Alexander Charles, with National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and Sophie Szew, Youth Advisory Board Member of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation, providing spoken word performances.
Sunday’s program includes Los Angeles musical producer Rickey Minor and a broad range of leaders of the music and arts community. They include Kristen Gordon, Mike Dundas and producer Eric Ortner, Recording Academy CEO and producer Harvey Mason Jr., along with entertainment industry vets Ron Basile, Courtney Barnes and Todd Hawkins. Matt Gibson from Goldman Sachs also provided assistance.
Bass was elected the first female mayor of Los Angeles Nov. 16, defeating billionaire businessman Rick Caruso. She becomes the city’s second Black mayor, following Tom Bradley whose record-setting tenure lasted from 1973 to 1993.
Bass was a social worker and community activist before being elected to the state assembly representing Los Angeles. She went on to become the assembly’s first Black speaker.