VP Harris swears in Karen Bass as L.A. mayor

Driving the news: The inaugural festivities for the city's 43rd mayor took place at City Hall and were open to the public.

What they're saying: “Today is a monumental moment in my life and in Los Angeles,” Bass said, emphasizing her stance on abortion and homelessness at the start of her speech.

• "We are so proud of our state because of the current state we have enshrined in the Constitution a woman's right to decide what happens to her body."
• "Governor Newsom... I look forward to working with you because together we are going to house the thousands of women and children who are living on our streets. We're going to do that together."

Bass said she will serve "at an inflection point in our history."

• "Just think, a pandemic a rapidly changing economy, a rapidly changing climate, the cost of living and in Los Angeles 40,000 people sleeping on the street every day. I believe that times of inflection require reflection. And I believe it's time for Angelenos to remind ourselves where we come from and who we are."
• Bass added that her first act as mayor on Monday will be to declare a "state of emergency on homelessness."

• Harris did not give a speech at the event.

Flashback: Over the summer, President Biden and Harris issued a rare joint endorsement of Bass, praising her for leading on "crime prevention strategies."

• The endorsement came as Bass and her main opponent, billionaire developer Rick Caruso, were battling it out as two ideologically opposed Democrats.
• The race, which went to a runoff, was called more than a week after Election Day last month with Bass ultimately beating Caruso by over 45,000 votes.

Background: Bass has served six terms in Congress and was on Biden's shortlist for a running mate in 2020.