EXCLUSIVE: Karen Bass is about to make history again.

The former congresswoman is the first woman elected mayor of Los Angeles. She is in Paris to attend the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games on Sunday and to hand over the City of Angels for the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad. In this handover from Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, Mayor Bass will be the first black mayor to receive the Olympic flag. It will be the first transition from one female mayor to another.

“I hope it sends a message to girls all over the world, but especially to black girls in the United States,” the first-term mayor explains on the streets of the City of Light ahead of tomorrow’s closing ceremony at the 80,000-seat Stade de France. Of course, in this year when elections in the United States are decidedly unpredictable, a smart retail politician like Bass is in Paris to figure out what can be learned from the last two weeks of competition and culture for the next Summer Olympics here in Los Angeles.

In that context, the Mayor talked to me about Paris 2024 and the closing ceremony, as well as LA 2028. Mayor Bass also spoke about her efforts to help the Los Angeles film and television industry get back on its feet after a rough past few years marked by a pandemic, strikes, cutbacks galore, and more austerity measures at studios and streamers. And then there’s the matter of a certain history-making Vice President and a certain convicted felon.

DEADLINE: When you present the Olympic flag to Mayor Hidalgo at the closing ceremony on Sunday, you will be the first Black mayor ever to receive the flag. What does that mean to you as the mayor of LA and as a private citizen?

MAYOR KAREN BASS: Well, first of all, it is an incredible source of pride.

I’m very happy and touched by it. I hope it sends a message to girls all over the world, but especially to black girls in the United States. We’re about to have a black female president. I think it’s just an exciting time. I’m always interested in young people feeling like they can achieve anything. But if I can play a small part in making one young person feel that way, then I’m very satisfied.

DEADLINE: On the topic of the closing ceremony, there are many rumors about what we will see from LA towards the end. We reported on Tom Cruise’s appearance. There is talk of appearances by Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and others, as well as a major Hollywood production from LA in 2028. What else will we see besides your own role in the flag-giving ceremony?

MAYOR BASS: (laughs) Seriously, I don’t know.

DEADLINE: Come on…

MAYOR BASS: I’m serious, I don’t know.

DEADLINE: OK, we’ll just take your word for it. But let’s stick with LA 2028 and finally Paris 2024. Looking at what we’ve seen in the last two weeks, what are the pros and cons for you looking at the next World Cup in four years?

MAYOR BASS: Well, I think what we could learn from them is how to put on a wonderful event that everyone can attend, how to put on a guarantee for small businesses. And then I think about the con, I don’t know what the con is, you know.

DEADLINE: Really?

MAYOR BASS: Maybe the way they did their opening ceremony. I think we would focus more on the athletes. I don’t think that’s a disadvantage or a criticism, just something we would do voluntarily.

DEADLINE: The 2028 Olympics will be held halfway through your second term in office, meaning you will not only have a huge influence on the Games, but you will also literally be hosting them and handing the flag over to the Mayor of Brisbane. How will you use that influence?

MAYOR BASS: I see it as a target date where we have to address a number of challenges in our city. And I tell you, I want the game to happen and benefit the whole city. One of the things I love about it is that even in the neighborhoods where the games aren’t happening, there is still a lot of participation with cultural events and fan festivals.

DEADLINE: How come?

MAYOR BASS: I was outside City Hall earlier this week and there were thousands of people watching one of the games on a big screen. I would like to see the same thing happen at our games. I want all of Los Angeles to be boiling, electrified and involved.

DEADLINE: So inside and outside the venues?

MAYOR BASS: Yes, because we’re lucky to have so many venues in LA. The Griffith Observatory could be a place for people. As far as community goes, I want us to use the Greek Theater, I want us to use the Hollywood Bowl. We have BMO Stadium. We have Exposition Park. Oh my goodness, we are so lucky.

DEADLINE: I understand those places, but I’m wondering what you think about the sometimes overlooked parts of our city — South LA and some of the satellite cities that don’t get as much attention, or like the amazing Boyle Heights and East LA. We have the Watts Tower, a national landmark that I know a lot of people in LA have never seen in person. How do we bring those parts of the city into play, so to speak, so that the full, comprehensive picture of LA is shown in 2028?

MAYOR BASS: Well, we definitely will, because we’re going to have people everywhere. So, the Watts Tower, definitely. By then, we’ll also have the open spaces of Destination Crenshaw. We have the incredible murals of East LA and in the San Fernando Valley. I want to make sure that all of those neighborhoods are represented, including our different ethnic neighborhoods like Little Ethiopia and Koreatown. Little Armenia, Little Bangladesh.

DEADLINE: Madam Mayor, this all sounds both ambitious and grand, but one of the biggest challenges facing LA now and through 2028 is homelessness, both for the homeless themselves and the tensions created by having so many people on the streets in the city…

MAYOR BASS: Yes..

DEADLINE: Governor Newsom recently signed a new executive order based on the Supreme Court ruling on homelessness and encampments. LA has made it pretty clear that it will not take what some have called draconian measures, but I know that addressing this crisis has been a key part of your administration. When I talk to people, I often hear, “Oh God, we can’t have an Olympics. There are so many people on the streets.”

What would you say to these people?

MAYOR BASS: First of all, Dominic, you know that I am committed to this because it is my focus, my passion, my concern, and I have been working on it day and night since before I took office.

For the first time in many years, the number of homeless people has actually gone down. I agree with the governor and have worked very closely with him. We have cleared out encampments and we will continue to do so. The difference is that for us, clearing out an encampment means giving people a place to stay. I don’t think just telling people to move on works.

DEADLINE: On another local topic, you recently took steps to boost production here in the home of Hollywood, assembling an entertainment industry cabinet that includes MPA chief Charlie Rivkin, NBCU vice president Yvette Estrada, former film czar Ken Ziffren, Netflix’s Amy Lemisch and Jason Reitman, among others.

MAYOR BASS: Yes..

DEADLINE: When we spoke at the premiere of Shirley on March 19, you mentioned to me that you were trying to find out if the governor would even increase the state’s $300 million annual film and television tax credits. After the pandemic and the strikes of last year, what do you think needs to be done to get the industry back on its feet, get production back to previous levels, and get people back to work?