Mayor Karen Bass is finally back after being absent as wildfires ravage Los Angeles County. Ms. Bass was in Ghana for that nation’s presidential inauguration, a grossly unnecessary trip on the taxpayer’s tab. She surveyed the damage today. Six fires are raging; none are contained, leading to over 1,000 buildings being destroyed and upward of 70,000 people being forced to flee their homes. It’s a mess, and the mayor’s cutting of the LAFD by nearly $20 million likely didn’t help.
Mayor Bass finally showed up. She is likely going to catch a brutal ratio on this post. https://t.co/KKTjtBPhgq
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) January 8, 2025
There’s no defense of Ms. Bass; even her fellow Democrats couldn’t think of one regarding why she was AWOL during this fiasco (via Politico):
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass faced mounting criticism Wednesday for her handling of deadly wildfires that continued to rage across the region, taking blame from influential city figures as she traveled back from a trip to Africa.
Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times, slammed Bass in an X post claiming the mayor slashed the Los Angeles Fire Department’s budget, despite the high risk of wildfires in the region, and raised questions about reports that some fire hydrants in the Pacific Palisades had run dry.
“Fires in LA are sadly no surprise, yet the Mayor cut LA Fire Department’s budget by $23M,” he wrote in the tweet. “And reports of empty fire hydrants raise serious questions. Competence matters.”
A Bass spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Soon-Shiong’s claim about the LAFD budget cut. City budget documents show the department’s more than $800 million budget decreased by around $17 million compared to the previous budget cycle.
[…]
Bass’ decision to not return from Ghana sooner drew criticism Wednesday from even the left flank of political media.
“Inexplicable decision to not come back earlier,” Tommy Vietor, a former Obama staffer and Pod Save America host, wrote on X.
Mayor Karen Bass just stands there in silence as reporters ask her if she regrets cutting the fire department budget or being in Africa while the fires destroyed her community.
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) January 8, 2025
I’ve never seen anything like this. pic.twitter.com/CwoWJ6XZvi
Bass’ defense is that she was already in the air heading back when this occurred. It’s likely not to quell the criticism over her absence. When asked if she owes the citizens of LA County an apology, Mayor Bass refused to answer the question.
Just incredible.
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