Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 47

Karen Bass is one of Los Angeles' most effective, creative and respected community leaders with a long and successful track record in the community. A lifelong resident of South Los Angeles, Karen Bass has dedicated her life and work to social justice and humanitarian efforts.

In 1990 Karen Bass founded Community Coalition and has been the Executive Director for 13 years. Community Coalition is a grass roots, community based organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in South Los Angeles. Community Coalition formed in response to the crack epidemic that hit South LA in the late 1980's. At the time Karen was working in the emergency room at LA County-USC Hospital and grew weary of seeing the aftermath of addiction. Karen set out to address the elements that created crime, poverty and addiction in her community.

After the 1992 Civil Unrest, Karen and Community Coalition prevented the rebuilding of over 150 liquor stores, and worked with business owners to transition over 40 of them into viable establishments, beneficial to the community. Under her leadership, hundreds of high school students organized to win over $153 million for repairs in South L.A. schools. Karen focused attention on the poor quality meats and produce in South LA markets and won significant demands from corporate officials. In addition, Community Coalition prevented several blocks of homes in three neighborhoods from being demolished to build new schools, and instead pressured the Los Angeles Unified School District to utilize three plots of vacant lots for the new campuses. Through Councilmember Martin Ludlow's office, Karen developed a summer pilot program called Summer of Success that drastically reduced violence in the 10th district. Karen raised over $100,000 to provide recreation and short-term employment for at risk youth ensuring a peaceful summer.

Karen helped to convene and create the 8th District Empowerment Congress, a model for L.A.'s Neighborhood Council program. She also served on the Los Angeles City Council Ad Hoc Committee on Gangs, Youth and Violence, which founded the L.A. Bridges after-school gang prevention program.

Karen is also active in several key community initiatives beyond the Community Coalition including, Friends of Crenshaw/Dorsey Community, Workplace Hollywood, the Human Services Alliance, African-American Voter Representation Education Program, Liberty Hill Foundation and Homeless Health Care.

Karen holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Cal State Dominguez Hills and a Post Baccalaureate Physician Assistant's Certificate from USC. She has been a Clinical Instructor at the USC School of Medicine since 1986 and joined the UCLA School of Public Policy as a Senior Policy Fellow in 1998. Karen currently resides in the Baldwin Vista community and is the proud mother of a student attending a California University.

Recipient:

Rosa Parks Award, Southern Christian Leadership Conference

FAME Award, First African-Methodist Episcopal Church

Thomas Kilgore, Jr. Service Award, The Black Agenda

85 Unsung Heroes Award, California Community Foundation

Charles Bannerman Memorial Fellowship Award

Upton Sinclair Award, Liberty Hill Foundation

Honorary Angel Award, KKBT 100.3 FM