U.S. Rep. Karen Bass has taken over businessman Rick Caruso’s lead in the Los Angeles mayor’s race, according to the latest results released by the Los Angeles County Registrar Nov. 14.
As of 5 p.m., Bass is ahead by roughly 29,000 votes, holding 52 percent of the vote compared to Caruso’s 48 percent. Last week, Caruso was slightly ahead of Bass by about 2,700 votes.
“As predicted, this is a close race. There are hundreds of thousands of votes to count and as expected we are going to see different results each time,” Caruso wrote on Twitter Nov. 10. “I continue to be cautiously optimistic about these numbers and look forward to the next series of results in the coming weeks.”
Both campaigns were not immediately available by press deadline for comments regarding the updated results.
Homelessness and public safety are the top issues Angelenos want the next mayor to address, according to polling. Bass and Caruso, though both Democrats, differ on how to address each in the bid to replace termed-out Mayor Eric Garcetti.
To address homelessness, Caruso wants to enforce restrictions on homeless encampments in public areas while offering services to those in need. Bass advocates for more housing and outreach as a way to reduce encampments, without enforcing the city’s anti-camping ordinance.
When it comes to public safety, both candidates vowed to beef up the Los Angeles Police Department—which is short about 300 personnel, according to officials—by adding hundreds of officers.
Bass also plans to implement “police reform” to reduce “racial profiling” and “ensure that police are held accountable when discharging their weapon,” according to her campaign website.
Countywide, the voter turnout is now 1,608,639, or 28.58 percent of registered voters.
