The congresswoman and the billionaire developer finished at the top of a crowded field in the mayor's race and will head to a runoff election in November.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Garcetti is ineligible to seek a third term due to term limits, and out of 12 candidates aiming for a spot, nine made the cut.
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Many voters in heavily Democratic L.A. are seething over rising crime and homelessness and that could prompt the city to take a turn to the political right for the first time in decades.
PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS: Watch ABC7'S new 24/7 streaming channel for continued coverage on the mayor's race.
About the candidates
Rick Caruso is a pro-business billionaire Republican-turned-Democrat who sits on the board of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and is promising to expand spending on police, not defund them.
Caruso spent tens of millions of dollars of his estimated $4.3 billion fortune to finance a seemingly nonstop display of TV and online ads to tap into voter angst.
READ ALSO | LA mayor's race: Police union's new ads blast Karen Bass for missing votes in Congress
At issue is whether enough people will embrace his plans to add 1,500 police officers and promises to get unhoused people off the streets, while not recoiling from his vast wealth.
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Twelve names are on the ballot for the primary election that ends June 7, though several candidates dropped out.
Bass could become the first woman to hold the office and the second Black person. Bass, 68, is a favorite of the party's progressive wing, while Caruso, 63, is a political shape-shifter who calls himself a "centrist, pro-jobs, pro-public safety Democrat."
LA mayoral race candidates make final push for votes before primary with last-minute campaign stops
LA mayoral race candidates make final push for votes before primary with last-minute campaign stops
Can these candidates convince voters change is possible?
That appears to be a major challenge for Caruso, Bass and other rivals - including city Councilman Kevin de León, a former Democratic leader in the state Senate.
De León was trailing in third place in the June 7 election.
De León represents the city's 14th District, which covers Boyle Heights, northeast L.A. and downtown. His district also has more homeless people than any other council district. He recently purchased a former roadside motel in El Sereno, which is now a temporary shelter.
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READ ALSO | Hotel shelter program spotlights how Kevin de León would combat homelessness
Caruso's ascendancy in the race - polls show him closely matched with Bass - has alarmed longtime Democrats who are attacking him as a poseur trying to buy the job.
Other candidates on the ballot included business executive Craig Greiwe, UC San Diego graduate Alex Gruenenfelder, John Jackson, Andrew Kim, Gina Viola, and Mel Wilson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.