27 Candidates – including Bass – File Paperwork to Run for L.A. Mayor

Karen Bass, Culver City's congressional representative, will have to defeat a large field of candidates to become the next mayor of Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles City Clerk's office said that 27 candidates – including Bass -- have filed paperwork to run for LA mayor in the June 7 election. Saturday was the deadline for candidates to file their declaration of intention to run for that post.

But not all candidates will automatically end up on the ballot. During the next 25 days, candidates will gather signatures to officially get their names on the ballot. A minimum of 500 valid signatures from voters are required, but candidates who receive at least 1,000 signatures will avoid a $300 filing fee.

In mid-March, the nominating petitions' signatures will be reviewed and the official candidate lists will be finalized.

In addition to Bass, the most prominent candidates are Los Angeles, City Councilmen Joe Buscaino and Kevin de León, City Attorney Mike Feuer and real estate developer Rick Caruso.

Other candidates filing to run for mayor include former Metro board member Mel Wilson; tech entrepreneur Ramit Varma; businessman Craig Greiwe; social justice advocate and Alex Gruenenfelder Smith; William "Rodriguez" Morrison, a Republican candidate in 2017 for the U.S. House of Representatives for the 34th District who won about 3% of the vote; Jesse N. Forte, who identified himself in paperwork as an "astronaut"; SilentRight CEO Barry "Boenvilla" Boen; and Army veteran and self-described education advocate Austin Dragon.

Before she was elected to Congress in 20210, Bass served as a longtime member of the California state legislature, and rose to become speaker of the California State Assembly.