Karen Ruth Bass has been elected as mayor of Los Angeles, beating Rick Caruso in a race that took more than a week to call.

The latest vote updates from the L.A. County Registrar’s Office showed Bass taking a more than 46,000 vote lead over Caruso, good for 53% of the vote.

“The people of Los Angeles have sent a clear message: it is time for change and it is time for urgency,” Bass said in a statement Wednesday. “This is my home and with my whole heart, I am ready to serve, and my pledge to you is that we will hit the ground running on day one.”

Bass, who will become the first female mayor of Los Angeles, added that she would immediately start focusing on homelessness, crime and the housing crisis in the city.

In her statement, she also said she had spoken to Caruso through the phone for a conversation that was “gracious.”

Caruso also put out a statement, thanking his supporters who helped fuel his campaign over the past nine months.

“While we came up short in the count, we made an indelible impact on this city and its people that will last far beyond the campaign trail or Election Day,” Caruso said. “We elevated the discourse of the campaign and focused attention on the issues that matter. We never stopped believing that local government can and should be a force for good, a force that levels the playing field for everyone , a source of pride and inspiration that helps families achieve the American dream.”

With the votes in Los Angeles taking multiple days to count, Caruso found himself with an early lead from Tuesday to Thursday, before Bass took over on Friday. From that point, Bass gradually continued to increase that lead after every county update, from a few hundred votes, to tens of thousands.

Current mayor Eric Garcetti congratulated Bass, saying her energy and experience will guide the city moving forward.

“I know that she will lead this city with grace and compassion, and that she’ll lean on her skills as a natural consensus-builder, deep ties to our neighborhoods and community leaders, and her unwavering commitment to equity and justice that has defined her as one of America’s great visionaries and leaders,” Garcetti said in a statement. “I have given Karen my commitment of unconditional support through this transition period, and have already been preparing with my team to make this the smoothest transition of administrations in our city’s history – so that our transfer of power can stand as a testament to the values and unity of purpose that have always made me proud to lead this City of Angels.”

County officials have until December 8 to complete all election results and submit them to the Secretary of State, who will certify the results by December 16.

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