First black woman elected to lead a state legislature

Assemblywoman Karen Bass, 54, won a unanimous vote in the Assembly on Thursday to become the next speaker of the Assembly and the first African American woman to hold that position.  She currently represents the 47th Assembly District, which includes parts of Los Angeles, Culver City, Ladera Heights, Baldwin Hills, View Park, Cheviot Hills, Westwood-UCLA and Windsor Hills.

"This is an amazing, amazing moment," said Bass, after the election. "Members, thank you so much for your vote of faith and confidence in me as your next speaker."

The speaker serves as the leader of the California State Assembly, controlling every committee assignment and influencing which legislation moves forward or not. The job is also considered to be second only to the governor in California government.

"I'm a big fan of hers. I think Karen Bass is a terrific leader. I think she will be fun to work with," said California's Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Bass, a Democrat, endorsed Barack Obama for president last November.

Bass will work alongside the current speaker, Fabian Núñez, until his term expires later this year.  Núñez issued a statement praising "the wisdom of the Caucus" for breaking the glass ceiling. "We are going to not only write a new chapter in California history, but I've been told we're going to write a new chapter in American history by electing the first African-American woman in the history of this nation to be the Speaker of a state legislative body."

Willie Brown, elected in 1980, was the first African American to lead the California Assembly.