Tipsheet

The Infuriating Reason Why LA's Mayor Isn't in Town As the County Burns

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  January 08, 2025 1:30 PM

Where’s the mayor? Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass might be tweeting about the firefighters and emergency rescue crews doing their jobs to save lives and protect as much property as possible. Still, she’s not even in the country. She’s in Ghana for President John Dramani Mahama’s inauguration.  

The fire has devastated Malibu and the Pacific Palisades. At least 30,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders as the wildfire rampaged through LA County. All aircraft were grounded due to the high winds, which had 80-105 mph gusts last night. At least two people have died, though we should expect the death toll to climb. There are numerous injuries and at least 1,000 buildings destroyed. 

As Leah wrote earlier this morning, some fire hydrants on the front lines of this inferno don’t even have water. It also didn’t help that Mayor Bass cut almost $20 million from the fire department a few months ago (via NY Post): 

The Los Angeles Fire Department had its budget cut by a staggering $17.6 million this financial year, records show — as fire crews continue to battle out-of-control blazes ravaging the City of Angels. 

The drastic decrease in funding for the fire department was the second-largest cut to come out of embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass‘ 2024-25 fiscal year budget, according to city figures.

The police budget, meanwhile, increased by $126 million, a graphic shared by LA City Controller Kenneth Mejia shows. 

Bass had initially wanted to cut the fire department by even more — a staggering $23 million. 

The details on Bass’ budget slashing resurfaced as the mayor faced widespread backlash Wednesday after it was revealed she was away in Africa for the Ghana president’s inauguration — even as wind-whipped wildfires turned parts of her city into an apocalyptic hellscape. 

A full recall of all firefighters was issued last night.