Karen Bass has been sworn in as the 43rd Mayor of Los Angeles in a historic inauguration at the Microsoft Theater

Karen Bass was sworn in as Los Angeles mayor on Sunday after she last month became the first female and the second Black person elected to the role.

A former community organizer and Democratic member of the US House of Representatives, Bass was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris in a ceremony that was attended by other California leaders, including Governor Gavin Newsom. She officially takes office on Monday.

She was sworn in ceremonially by Vice President Kamala Harris, a longtime friend, and former California attorney general. The formal oath was administered privately by the city clerk.

Bass will be tasked with easing rising crime rates, restoring trust in a City Hall shaken by racism and corruption scandals and addressing the issue of over 40,000 people living in trash-strewn encampments or rusty RVs that have spread into virtually every neighborhood.

Striking a tone of unity, Bass said the many, disparate arms of government must come together to confront homelessness.

To move in a new direction “we must have a single strategy” that brings together government, the private sector and other stakeholders,” Bass said, speaking in a downtown theater near City Hall.

She said if people link arms rather than point fingers, lives will be saved. She called that “my mission” as mayor.

She also urged residents to become involved in city government, echoing John F. Kennedy’s presidential inaugural address in which he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you  ask what you can do for your country.”

“I call on the people of our city to not just dream of the L.A. we want, but to participate in making the dream come true,” Bass said.

Bass who was on President-elect Joe Biden’s short list for vice president —claimed the post last month after overcoming more than $100 million in spending by rival Rick Caruso, a billionaire developer and Republican-turned-Democrat who campaigned as a centrist and promised a strong emphasis on public safety.