Karen Bass says she's open to exploring idea of allowing non-citizens to vote in elections

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signaled she might get behind a movement to allow non-citizens vote in local elections in the city, including for mayor, after two city council members have pushed for such a plan in recent weeks.

Bass made the remarks during an interview at an event held in L.A. by Politico on Wednesday. Melanie Mason of Politico brought up the recent measure, proposed by a city council member who has endorsed Bass, and asked, "Politics is all about timing -- with Donald Trump in the White House, is this the right time to go down this path?"

The mayor replied, "Well, I think we need to explore it," and claimed she isn't familiar with the specifics of the proposal. She went on to cite unspecified other cities that allow non-citizens to vote in city council and school board elections as a possible template for what L.A. might try, but said, "We'll wait and see." San Francisco and Oakland are two examples of cities that allow non-citizens to vote in local elections.

City Council member Hugo Soto-Martínez last month proposed holding a referendum in the November general election that, if approved by voters, would do precisely what Bass described, according to The Los Angeles Times. The proposal would also allow non-citizens to vote in mayoral elections. Soto-Martínez represents a district that includes part of Hollywood and he's rallied support for the idea from other council members. Ysabel Jurado co-signed the proposal and Eunisses Hernandez has backed it also, The Los Angeles Times reported. 

The proposal also has its critics. Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform told The Los Angeles Times the proposal "undermines the whole concept of citizenship, and what it means to be a member of American society," and said enacting such a proposal would encourage people to "just show up from the outside and have an equal voice in how the city is run."

Bass faced criticism of her remark about seemingly endorsing the idea with a local filmmaker, Ami Horowitz, telling Rita Panahi of Sky News, allowing non-citizens to vote is "not exactly democracy-like." Below, watch Bass' remarks on the topic.