The Presence of Power: Why Mayor James T. Butts, Jr. Matters
L-R) Gillian Zucker, Steve Ballmer, Adam Silver, Mayor James T. Butts and Mayor Karen Bass during the announcement that the NBA 2026 All-Star games will be played in the Intuit Stadium when completed 2024. Photo by Gloria Zuurveen
By Gloria Zuurveen, Editor-in-Truth
INGLEWOOD—When Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stood before thousands of Angelenos at the Expo Center for her State of the City Address, she could have begun anywhere. She could have led with policy, crisis, or celebration. Instead, almost instinctively, she looked out into the crowd and asked a simple but telling question:
“Where is Mayor Butts?”
It was not a casual search. It was a public acknowledgement — a recognition of a peer, a proven leader, and a mayor whose presence carries weight far beyond the borders of Inglewood.
In that moment, Karen Bass was doing more than being polite. She was signaling to Los Angeles — and to anyone paying attention — that James T. Butts, Jr. is not just another suburban mayor.
He is a force. She called him “the mayor that transformed the city.”
And she is right.
Mayor James T. Butts speaking on Thursday at the Hollywood Park Opening Celebration in Inglewood. Photo by Gloria Zuurveen
A Mayor Who Knows His City — Cold
Mayor James T. Butts, Jr. is not a ceremonial leader.
He is not a ribbon-cutter who hides behind staff.
He is a boots-on-the-ground mayor who can speak off the top of his head about every corner of Inglewood — its neighborhoods, its challenges, its opportunities, its deals, and its people. Ask him anything about his city, and he knows it.
Mayor James T. Butts speaking to crowd at the City of Inglewood Swearing-In Ceremony on December 14, 2024. Photo Gloria Zuurveen
Ask him to defend his record, and he does — calmly, clearly, and without hesitation.
That was on full display recently during an Inglewood City Council meeting broadcast live on Spectrum and streamed to the public. A reporter had conducted what was reportedly a 30-minute interview with Mayor Butts about positive developments in Inglewood.
Yet when the story aired, the mayor felt that the reporter reduced that substantive conversation to a brief three-minute clip focused on controversy rather than context.
Instead of letting it slide, Mayor Butts addressed it—directly, publicly, and professionally.
Mayor of Inglewood James Butts Jr., Grammy-winning music producer Larrance Dopson, Chief Visionary Officer and Executive producer at WePlay Studios Max Bilonogov, and Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at WePlay Studios Yura Lazebnikov cutting the ribbon to mark the official opening of WePlay Studios Inglewood.
Mayor James T. Butts at Harbor Freight grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony which took place in Councilwoman Dionne Faulk’s 4th District. Photo by Gloria Zuurveen
He named the issue.
He named the dynamic.
He clarified the record.
No theatrics. No bluster. Just facts — delivered with the steady confidence of a leader who knows exactly what he is doing.
That is who Mayor Butts is.
The Kind of Leader Billionaires Don’t Intimidate
Mayor James T. Butts Jr. speaks with Los Angeles Clippers owner and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and others at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
Mayor James T. Butts Jr. breaks ground at SoFi Stadium alongside NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Rams owner Stan Kroenke. Photo by Gloria Zuurveen.
This is also the kind of mayor who does not shrink when powerful interests come knocking — even when those interests come with billions of dollars and high-priced legal teams.
Inglewood’s transformation — from the rise of SoFi Stadium to major entertainment and economic development — did not happen because Mayor Butts bowed to developers or allowed outside power brokers to rewrite the rules. It happened because he negotiated from a position of knowledge, principle, and fearlessness. When billionaire interests, including those tied to major sports and entertainment projects, have tried to shift terms, delay commitments, or maneuver around community protections, Mayor Butts has not blinked.
He does not vacillate.
He does not bluff.
And he does not back down.
WOW billboards — a major revenue stream for the City of Inglewood — are prominently displayed throughout the city.
That kind of tenacity is rare in politics — and it makes some very powerful people uncomfortable. When they cannot bully or outmaneuver him politically, they turn to legal redress. And suddenly, what should be straightforward civic development becomes a tangle of lawsuits, filings, and “procedural” battles. But make no mistake: the tension exists because Mayor Butts refused to surrender the public interest to private power.
Why Karen Bass Calls Him Her Peer
Mayor Bass did not single out Mayor Butts by accident. She chose to name him — in a room filled with elected officials, civic leaders, and community members — because she recognizes what real leadership looks like.
She knows that while she governs Los Angeles, Mayor Butts governs Inglewood with a clarity and command that has reshaped the city’s national and international profile.
Inglewood is now synonymous with world-class venues, global events, and economic reinvention. The upcoming All-Star Basketball Game. The FIFA World Cup matches hosted in Inglewood. The international spotlight shining on a city that, for decades, was overlooked and underestimated.
That did not happen by chance.
It happened because of Mayor Butts.
A Model for Local Power
At a time when cities are navigating federal pressure, corporate influence, and political division, leaders like James T. Butts, Jr. matter more than ever.
He represents a model of municipal leadership that is:
Grounded in community
Firm in negotiation
Unafraid of power
Unapologetic about protecting his city
When Mayor Bass stood at the Expo Center — choosing that community space over City Hall — she was speaking about unity, resilience, and democracy.
But in looking for Mayor Butts, she was also acknowledging a truth:
Los Angeles is stronger because leaders like James T. Butts, Jr. exist next door.
He is not just Inglewood’s mayor.
He is a standard.
And that presence — that steadiness — is exactly what the region needs as it prepares for the world to arrive.
The Southern Truth
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