Bass cites Harris’ ‘passion’ and ‘fearlessness’ in helping children

CHICAGO —  Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was met with chants of “Karen! Karen!” after she described Vice President Kamala Harris as a role model who would fight to protect children at Monday’s opening night of the Democratic National Convention.

Bass told the energized crowd in Chicago that she and Harris worked together on youth homelessness and fixing the child welfare system more than a decade ago when Bass headed the California Assembly and Harris was a state prosecutor.

“Our bond was forged years ago, by a shared commitment to children,” said Bass, who has known Harris, 59, for nearly two decades. “A belief that it is everybody’s responsibility to care for every child, no matter where they come from or no matter who their parents are.”

Bass, 70, a well-known advocate for children who created the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth while in Congress, also used her short speech Monday to describe Harris’ work as California attorney general to help youths in the juvenile justice system.

“I know Kamala,” Bass said. “And she feels the importance of this work in her bones. When Kamala meets a young person, you can feel her passion. You can feel her heart. And you can feel her fearlessness.

“That is what defines a commitment to children: being willing to fight fiercely for every child. And trust me, Kamala has done that her entire life.”

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Bass grinned at the crowd and appeared to relish her moment in the spotlight. She chuckled as she talked about how she and Harris made history and when Harris, the first female vice president, swore her in after Bass became the first woman to become L.A. mayor in 2022.

Ahead of the swearing-in, “we knew we were sending a message to young girls everywhere: that they too can lead,” Bass said.

Also, Harris and Bass have opened up to reporters about their respective families. Harris is a stepmother and refers to herself as “Momala,” while Bass has three adult stepchildren.

Other Californians who spoke during the convention’s opening night included U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, Reps. Maxine Waters of Los Angeles and Robert Garcia of Long Beach, and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Before Harris was chosen to be then-candidate Joe Biden’s running mate in 2020, Bass was also viewed as a possible pick for the ticket. But some assumed Harris’ political consultants were behind a perceived effort to knock Bass off the list of potential candidates.

Still, the buzz around Bass being a possible vice president brought her national attention. A year later, Bass launched her campaign for mayor of Los Angeles.

Other Californians noted the historic nature of Harris’ campaign and reminisced about their personal interactions with the vice president.

Waters invoked a civil rights icon who delivered a famous speech 60 years ago about the character of the nation.

“When the dust settles in November and Americans of all stripes have elected her president … in that moment, all of us, from New York to Pennsylvania to Arizona to California, we can ask ourselves, ‘Is this America?’” Waters said. “And we will be able to say loudly and proudly, ‘You’re damn right it is.’”

Butler and Garcia both spoke about their relationships with Harris.

Garcia recalled Harris calling him in 2020 after his mother and stepfather died from complications from COVID-19.

“I miss them every day. So when Donald Trump downplayed the horror of the pandemic, it made me furious,” he said. “Later that year, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were elected president and vice president. And what a difference they made. They got people vaccinated, and got the virus under control.”

Butler noted that she first met Harris when she was a labor leader and the vice president was the district attorney of San Francisco.

“We hit it off right away,” she said, noting that the women both attended historically Black universities and were raised by hard-working mothers. “And we both believed every single one of us has the power to change the world when we do it together. Kamala Harris has always understood the assignment, no matter if she was the underdog, no matter the bullying and the name-calling. She never doubted that the best was still ahead.”

“We deserve a president who is tough, not just tough talking, one who shatters the boundaries of what’s possible, not the boundaries of what’s legal, and one who wipes the floor with cheats and fraudsters,” she added. “The president that we deserve is my friend Kamala Harris.”

Kounalakis said she too knew Harris from her days as San Francisco’s elected top prosecutor, when she worked in housing.

“We’d get frequent lunches. She was funny and fun. She was also a great mentor,” Kounalakis said. “Once I told her about a professional experience of being minimized because I was a woman. She put her fork down and said, ‘Eleni, never let anybody make you feel small.’ I saw her put that creed into action.”

Kerr, who led the USA men’s Olympic basketball team, spoke about his pride over being invited to speak at the Democratic National Convention shortly after seeing his players win the gold medal in Paris.

“I know speaking about politics these days comes with risks. I can see the ‘shut up and whistle’ tweets being fired off right now. But I also knew, as soon as I was asked, that it was too important as an American citizen not to speak up in an election of this magnitude,” Kerr said. “The reason I said yes to speaking here tonight is that as a coach and former player, as a husband, a son, a father, and a grandfather, and as an American I believe in a certain kind of leadership.”

He added an aside for Harris’ running mate, Minn. Gov. Tim Walz, who coached high school football before he became an elected official.

“Coach to coach: That guy’s awesome,” Kerr said. “Although, I have to say, ‘Coach, way too much reliance on the blitz in ’99 against Mankato East. You had a strong defensive line. I would have played more press coverage with your corners and dropped your safeties into a Tampa 2.’ Sorry — I wanted you to know what I feel every day of the NBA season.”

Mehta reported from Chicago, Smith from Los Angeles.