Los Angeles elects Karen Bass as first woman mayor

LOS ANGELES: Residents of Los Angeles have elected Karen Bass as mayor, vote projections indicated on Thursday, making her the first woman to head America´s second biggest city.

Lifelong Democrat Bass, who is Black and a longtime US congresswoman, beat an immensely well-funded challenge from former Republican property developer Rick Caruso, who spent an eye-watering $100 million of his own money on the race.

Caruso, 63, who is white, outspent his 69-year-old opponent by a factor of more than 11, blanketing local airwaves with slick commercials promising to fix Los Angeles´ intractable homeless problem.