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U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California. | Photo courtesy of the U.S. Senate Historical Office
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Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced her endorsement of Rep. Karen Bass in the race for mayor of Los Angeles Wednesday.
Feinstein’s endorsement means both senators from California have backed Bass over developer Rick Caruso, after Sen. Alex Padilla endorsed Bass in August.
Feinstein, California’s longest-serving senator, was elected in 1992. In a statement, Feinstein said Bass understands the issues facing Los Angeles and is a champion for reproductive health care.
“Karen Bass is the type of leader who will work tirelessly to improve the lives of Angelenos and solve the tough problems facing the city,” Feinstein said. “Karen is practical, she is collaborative and she will give 100% to serve the city in which she was born.”
Feinstein’s endorsement continues the trend of most major Democrats backing Bass, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, a prospect that Caruso appeared to acknowledge in last week’s mayoral debate when he said the Democratic Party “doesn’t seem to be accepting me.”
Prior to becoming senator, Feinstein was the first female mayor of San Francisco.
“Senator Feinstein has broken glass ceilings throughout the entirety of her career and I’m so honored to have her support in this race,” Bass said.
Bass has also picked up endorsements from former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and several congressional colleagues that include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, local Reps. Tony Cárdenas, Linda Sanchez, Jimmy Gomez, Lou Correa, Judy Chu, Ted Lieu, Mike Levin, Adam Schiff, Brad Sherman, Mark Takano, Raul Ruiz and Lucille Roybal-Allard and Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez. She also has broad labor support from local unions, along with the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.
Caruso has been backed by former Mayor Richard Riordan, Los Angeles City Council Members Gil Cedillo and Joe Buscaino; business groups including the Los Angeles County Business Federation, the Los Angeles Police Protective League and celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Gwyneth Paltrow, Elon Musk, Snoop Dogg, Wolfgang Puck, music mogul Clarence Avant and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
Caruso picked up an endorsement Tuesday from the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, a union representing more than 3,300 firefighters, paramedics, inspectors, dispatchers and pilots with the Los Angeles City Fire Department.
