{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://bass.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/culver-city-crossroads-congressional-conversation-bass-answers-and-advice", "Culver City Crossroads: "Congressional Conversation with Bass  Answers and Advice"", "2016-12-13", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Karen Bass", "B001270", "bass.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "\u201cIf we fall into despair, we concede. If we lose hope, we lose it all.\u201d When Congress member Karen Bass spoke on Sunday, December 11, at Palms Middle School auditorium, she set the tone for the ongoing struggle to move the political conversation towards progress.\nThe town hall style meeting was heavily attended, and many in the crowd offered that this was the first time they had come to connect with Bass in a community setting. Bass was there to listen to her constituents, reflect on their concerns and offer what she can \u2013 and can\u2019t \u2013 do to mitigate action, to propose and pass legislation, and keep the district\u2019s priorities on the table.\n\u201cAll of us are so very stressed,\u201d she noted,\u201dwondering what is going on, what is going to happen next, what can we do\u2026I do these meetings all the time, and I\u2019m very glad that all of you are here.\u201d\nBeginning with an update on current business in Washington D.C., she told the crowd that the incoming administration had the right to negate any action taken by the current President for 60 days before leaving office, and with that in mind, Congress adjourned last Thursday, extra early, to add more time onto those 60 days. The crowd groaned with displeasure.\nBass also noted the turmoil in the leadership of the Democratic party, the challenge that Nancy Pelosi faced from Tim Ryan. and the resolution of the leadership returning to Pelosi.\nThen, she opened to questions, saying \u201cI want a sense from voters of how you want to handle this, because we still have this other dilemma of actually running the government. We still have to govern.\u201d\nTaking ten questions at a time from the floor and then responding to each, she addressed concerns as diverse as Social Security fears and Standing Rock sovereignty. Most of the people who had come to the meeting talked about the incoming presidential administration. There was a low lying sense of panic pervading the community over hate crimes, financial fears and the possible loss of legal standing for civil rights.\nPeople spoke out \u2013 \u00a0an employee of Planned Parenthood, an undocumented \u2018Dreamer\u2019 learning to make documentaries in college, a member of the United Teachers of Los Angeles, all were candid about how intimidating the election had been, and reached out to Bass for congressional support.\nWest Los Angeles College President Jim Limbaugh spoke briefly to the crowd, stating that \u201cAll of our students have been impacted by this election, and we are committed to keeping our campus safe and providing out students of color, our LGBTQ students, and all of our religious and ethnic minorities with what they need to be secure and continue their education in spite of these difficult challenges.\u201d\nLos Angeles Councilmember Paul Koretz addressed the crowd in regard to local actions, and how he was taking on a redevelopment and eviction threat to a building housing the elderly. Koretz also remembered his days at Palms Middle School, and said \u201d The auditorium looks quite the same.\u201d\nWith time running out for the meeting, Bass offered to stay as long as needed to address everyone\u2019s concerns, and listen to her constituents. \u00a0Almost an hour later, she was still taking notes, reflecting with more information and advising voters to stay connected.\n\u201cYou can\u2019t just run for office on election day; we have to stay in this every day and stay focused and committed to our priorities.\u201d\nYou can see pictures from the event here.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://bass.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/culver-city-crossroads-congressional-conversation-bass-answers-and-advice"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.686118146404624, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}