Congresswoman Karen Bass and billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso advanced to lock horns in a runoff this November to become the mayor of Los Angeles.

       An early tally of mail-in ballots showed Mr Caruso with 41 per cent and Ms Bass with 38 per cent votes. Although a dozen names were on the ballot, several candidates had dropped out of the race.

       City councilman and former state senate leader Kevin de Leon was a distant third with 7 per cent votes.

       The election is likely to be dominated by ways to fight crimes and homelessness, with over 40,000 people living in trash-strewn encampments and rusty RVs. The city has also been plagued by smash-and-grab robberies and home invasions.

       Ms Bass, 68, a Democrat, had served as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and was shortlisted by Joe Biden for the post of vice president. If voted to power, she would be the first black woman to serve as the city’s mayor.

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       "Together we will make a city where you want to live because you feel safe, because the air you breathe is clean, and because people are no longer dying on our streets," Ms Bass said. "Not with empty promises from the past, but through a bold path forward."

       Her billionaire opponent Mr Caruso, a longtime Republican-turned-Democrat, has reportedly poured $40m (￡31.8m) into his campaign for mayor's post. The 63-year-old has built his fortune on luxury shopping centres and now sits on the board of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.

       Billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso

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       He has been endorsed by the police union and has positioned himself as a centrist outsider running against City Hall's progressive establishment. Mr Caruso blamed the congresswoman and other longtime incumbents for the rise in homelessness and argued that under her leadership the issue of homelessness would not be solved.

       "Whoa. Whoa," Mr Caruso said. "Let me respond by saying this: The light at the end of the tunnel is shining bright tonight."

       He added: "This is a great night because so many people have gone to the voting booth, and they've sent a message: We are not helpless in the face of our problems. We will not allow this city to decline. We will no longer accept excuses."

       His $4.3 bn (￡3.4bn) fortune allowed him to run a seemingly nonstop display of TV and online ads, compared to Ms Bass’s spending of nearly $3.3 m (￡2.63m).

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       “It’s hard to defeat a people-powered campaign ... no matter how much money is spent, and it’s hard to defeat folks who are committed to a cause, not just a candidate,” Ms Bass said.

       Both the candidates have been backed by celebrities. Ms Bass was endorsed by director Steven Spielberg, producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and actor Jennifer Aniston, while Mr Caruso has been backed by Kim Kardashian, actor Gwyneth Paltrow and rapper Snoop Dogg.