LA mayor Karen Bass breaks silence on growing calls for her to resign over shocking fire mismanagement
Embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has rejected calls for her to resign over her response to devastating wildfires.
During a press conference she said: ‘We have to protect lives, we have to save lives and we have to save homes.
“Rest assured when that’s done, when we’re safe, we will absolutely do a review to see what worked and what didn’t work.”
Furious residents had criticized Bass for traveling to Ghana while the city was burning, despite a warning of “critical” weather conditions in the days before.
She spoke about the backlash on Thursday and tried to quell growing anger over her trip abroad.
When asked if her leadership was effective, she said, “I was just saying what I think is the most important thing we need to do right now. That will remain my focus.’
Bass flew out to attend the West African country’s presidential inauguration on Tuesday after meteorologists warned a “recipe for fire” was brewing to hit LA.
The mayor was there to attend the inauguration of the new president and meet the country’s first-ever female vice president.
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Bass toured the Pacific Palisades business district on Wednesday
People hug each other as they return to the house after it was burned down by wildfires in the Los Angeles area
When she returned to The Golden State on Wednesday, she was cornered by Sky News journalist David Blevins and refused to answer his questions.
Bass immediately indicated that she was not going to answer his questions and turned away.
Blevins then asked her a series of questions to which she did not respond and looked aimlessly at the ground.
He says, “Do you owe your citizens an apology for being absent while their houses were burning?”
“Do you regret cutting millions of dollars from the fire department, Madam Mayor? Have you nothing to say today?’
Bass tried to reduce the LA Fire Department’s budget by about $23 million in 2024, but settled for cuts of $17.6 million.
‘Elon Musk says you are completely incompetent, are you thinking about your position? Do you have nothing at all to say to the citizens affected by this disaster? No excuses for them?’
“Do you think you should have visited Ghana while this was happening at home?”
Blevins then follows Bass out of an airport hallway before demanding she make a statement to the residents of her town. She ignores him and walks onto the asphalt.
Firefighters battle the Eaton Fire in high winds as many homes burn on January 7, 2025 in Pasadena
Bass tried to cut the LA Fire Department’s budget by about $23 million in 2024, but settled for cuts of $17.6 million
She suffered another blunder on Wednesday as she pushed her way through a press conference.
She seemed stunned as she read her own notes, saying, “Emergency information, resources and shelter are available. All this can be found at URL.’
Dozens of A-listers have used their social media accounts to contact Bass and the city about the response to the fires.
Sarah Michelle Geller said on her Instagram: ‘The city of LA, you want everyone to evacuate but you have a complete gridlock and not a single traffic cop on the road is helping.’
Actress Sara Foster added, “We pay the highest taxes in California. Our fire hydrants were empty.
‘Our vegetation was overgrown and the undergrowth had not been cleared. Our reservoirs were emptied by our governor because tribal leaders wanted to save fish.
Our fire department budget was cut by our mayor. But thank God drug addicts get their drug kits. RESIGN. Your far left policies have ruined our state. And also our party.’
Former professional dancer from Dancing with the Stars Valentin Chmerkovskiy also expressed his displeasure on social media.
Debris from burned homes can be seen in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood
The flames wiped out more than 1,000 structures and scorched famous landmarks in their path
A firefighting helicopter drops water as the Sunset Fire burns in the Hollywood Hills with evacuations on January 8, 2025
‘5th largest economy in the world. Firefighters didn’t have enough water pressure to do their job?! Are you kidding me?! The taxes we pay for infrastructure in the developing world are unbelievable?! Come on.
Actor James Woods also criticized the mayor, blaming her and California Governor Gavin Newsom for the fire.
“This fire is not the result of ‘climate change,’ you ignorant bastard. It’s because liberal idiots like you elect liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass.
“One doesn’t understand fire management and the other can’t fill the water tanks,” he wrote.
The death toll from the historic infernos has now reached five, as heroic firefighters continue to battle hellish conditions on the frontlines of at least five different fires.
Officials have warned they expect these numbers to rise as they continue to grapple with the infernos.
The fires have torn areas apart, turning so-called picturesque neighborhoods into smoldering neighborhoods.
Driven by powerful winds, the flames swept away more than 1,000 structures and scorched famous landmarks in their path.
The homes of Anthony Hopkins, John Goodman and Miles Teller are among those destroyed, while dozens of other stars now have to wait anxiously alongside their neighbors to hear if anything can be saved.
Mandy Moore, Cary Elwes, Paris Hilton, James Woods, Billy Crystal and his wife Janice all claimed to have seen their homes go up in smoke during the Palisades Fire.
LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley believes the fire started accidentally in a backyard around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning.
She told reporters that the fire is “spreading at a rate beyond anything we’ve ever seen… it’s now unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetimes.”