SACRAMENTO - In a formal ceremony today at the State Capitol, Karen Bass was sworn into office for the 2005-2006 legislative session.

Bass was elected November 2 to represent the 47th Assembly District which includes the cities of Los Angeles and Culver City, as well as the communities of Ladera Heights, Baldwin Hills, View Park, Cheviot Hills, Westwood-UCLA and Windsor Hills. She succeeds Herb Wesson, who left the Assembly after serving the maximum three terms allowed. Bass is the ninth African American female elected to the California legislature in the last 15 years.

“I am honored that my fellow citizens have put their trust in me as their representative in Sacramento,” said Assemblywoman Bass, a lifelong resident of the 47th Assembly District. “Through the legislation I will introduce in the coming weeks, I will continue my commitment to strengthening local schools and neighborhoods, improving access to quality healthcare, and creating more local jobs in Los Angeles County.”

Bass, a Democrat, most recently served as founder of the Community Coalition, a nonprofit which began in 1990 with the overall mission of improving the quality of life in South Los Angeles.

Assemblywoman Bass lives in the Baldwin Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles County, and is the proud mother of a daughter attending a California university.

Twenty-four newly elected members joined the Assembly today: 15 Democrats and nine Republicans. The lower house of the Legislature is composed of 80 Assemblymembers, each representing approximately a half-million Californians.