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Mayor Karen Bass announces additional senior staff

LOS ANGELES – Mayor Karen Bass today announced the appointment of a Deputy Mayor and two Directors in her Administration. The appointments demonstrate her continued dedication to ensuring her Administration's commitment to innovative and experienced changemakers who will drive Los Angeles forward. 

Joey Freeman, Deputy Mayor of Intergovernmental Affairs – Joey Freeman currently serves as Director of Policy and Budget Initiatives for the Mayor’s transition, where he has focused on developing the Mayor’s budget proposal. He will now serve as Deputy Mayor of Intergovernmental Affairs with responsibility for advancing the Mayor’s agenda at the county, regional, state and federal levels of government. Most recently, Freeman served as Senior Advisor and Policy Director on the Bass for Mayor campaign. Prior, he worked as the Chief Deputy Legislative Affairs Secretary for Governor Gavin Newsom, where he served as senior staff to the Governor and helped lead negotiations with the State Legislature on key issues like reopening public schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, mandating California’s first all-mail state election and passing significant resources to tackle the homelessness crisis. Freeman was Policy Director for the Newsom for Governor campaign and a Chief Policy Consultant for then-Lieutenant Governor Newsom. Freeman has also worked for the Special Olympics World Summer Games and on local, state and federal campaigns. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs.

Bernyce Hollins, Senior Director of City Budget – Bernyce Hollins brings significant public sector experience with a City career that spans over 20 years. As Senior Director of City Budget, she will be responsible for the development of the Mayor’s annual budget and financial policies. Most recently she served as a Chief Administrative Analyst for the City Administrative Officer, responsible for oversight of municipal facilities, capital programs and portions of the City budget. Hollins served as one of the City's Equity Officers and received a City Council Resolution in 2018 for her career performance and long-standing service to at-risk youth and unhoused individuals. She began her City career with the former Community Development Department administering workforce development grants. Prior to joining the City, she worked as a classroom instructor in South Los Angeles and participated in volunteer activities both domestic and abroad. She graduated with honors from Williams College as a Political Economy major and also studied in London and South Africa.

Krista Kline, Director of Legislative Affairs – Krista Kline will serve as the Director of Legislative Affairs, where she will be responsible for advancing the Mayor’s policy agenda with the City Council and overseeing relationships with Council offices. Previously serving Council District 11 in a number of roles, including as Chief of Staff, she managed the City Hall and district teams, and oversaw the development of policies, projects and legislation in key priority areas such as homelessness, transportation, sustainability and land use planning. Kline previously served the City as Planning Deputy for Council District 14, Urban Planning and Design Coordinator for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Senior Project Coordinator for the Los Angeles Housing Department. Before returning to the City, she worked at the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.