Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is under fire for abandoning the city during one of the worst wildfire outbreaks in recent years. While entire neighborhoods burned and residents fled for their lives, Bass was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana. Now, instead of taking responsibility, she is “investigating” why no one stopped her from leaving—a stunning attempt to shift blame rather than own up to her absence.
The timing of her trip was reckless. The National Weather Service had issued clear warnings about extreme fire conditions, but Bass still left the country. In a tone-deaf statement, she later claimed, “No one said you shouldn’t have gone on a trip,” as if leadership requires someone else to tell her when it’s time to stay and do her job. Rather than acknowledging her failure, she is now trying to pin the responsibility on her staff, city officials, and emergency managers.
Meanwhile, LA was left without proper leadership. The city’s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, Brian Williams, had already been placed on leave due to an FBI investigation, leaving a gap in emergency response. As fires raged, residents received little to no communication from their elected leader. Thousands were displaced and over 12,000 structures destroyed.
Adding to the outrage, the same mayor who had no problem taking a taxpayer-funded trip abroad oversaw massive budget cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department, slashing $17.6 million from its budget. Despite this, she now claims she had no idea of the risk or the severity of the situation.
Residents are not buying it. Over 150,000 have signed a petition demanding her resignation, calling out her failure of leadership. Instead of playing the victim and questioning why she was “allowed” to go AWOL, Bass should be answering for why she abandoned her city when it needed her most.
