Bass appoints new deputy mayor of public safety, third to hold role since 2022

NBC Los Angeles reports that Mayor Karen Bass has appointed Susan Stengel as the third deputy mayor of public safety since taking office in December 2022, following the criminal conviction of the first appointee (Brian Williams, who pleaded guilty to making a false bomb threat in May 2025) and the lateral reassignment of the second (Robert Clark, moved to Emergency Management). Stengel, currently inspector general of LAUSD, brings prior experience as a public safety policy director under previous LA mayors Garcetti and Villaraigosa, and the appointment comes amid documented criticism of declining LAPD staffing and increased police shootings. The reporting is sourced from Bass' office with named officials and includes specifics on prior appointees' backgrounds and Clark's FBI credentials, though Clark declined comment and no input from public safety experts or LAPD leadership is included. Independent search results confirm Bass is currently in a contested re-election race facing challengers Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt, adding context about potential political pressures surrounding the appointment timing, though the search results do not independently corroborate the staffing or shooting statistics cited in the article's opening. Watch for whether Stengel's appointment stabilizes the role, how LAPD staffing and shooting incidents trend under her tenure, and whether the appointment becomes a campaign issue in the mayor's re-election race.