The 19th News. The contentious race centered on housing, affordability, public safety and came down to who Angelenos trust to navigate the crises ahead. A Harvard and MIT graduate, the 45-year-old urban planner built her political career around homelessness, housing affordability and neighbourhood-level civic activism. The 45-year-old City Councilwoman, originally from Kerala, has won against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in the race to lead America’s second-largest.