LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles Mayor-elect Karen Bass named Chris Thompson, a senior official with LA28 and a former chief of staff to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, as her chief of staff Nov. 29.
Thompson will begin in the role Dec. 5. He is currently the senior vice president of government relations for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and served as Feinstein’s chief of staff from 2008 to 2013.
In a statement, Bass said that Thompson—who will also guide her transition as she prepares to take office Dec. 12—has “vast leadership experience and shared vision for our city.”
“The people of this city spoke loud and clear when they delivered a decisive victory for Mayor-elect Bass,” Thompson said. “She has laid out a clear vision and plans to confront the crisis of homelessness and to make our city safer and more affordable for all. I look forward to helping her execute that vision.”
Thompson first joined Feinstein’s office in 2003.
His previous positions included working as an aide for Congressman Julian C. Dixon and as vice president for Southern California Edison/Edison International. Thompson also served on the board of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.
Thompson was also appointed to the board of the California Privacy Protection Agency by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
He serves on several boards, including the PBS SoCal/Public Media Group of Southern California, the California Science Center Foundation, and the leadership council of the Public Policy Institute of California.
Bass, who defeated developer Rick Caruso in the Nov. 8 election, called the three-week transition period “unprecedented,” but pledged to “hit the ground running.” It took over a week for the election to be called.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Bass has invited all of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s staff to remain in their positions through April to help deal with the short transition period.
