Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing criticism for being out of the country when the devastating wildfires began to ravage the city on Tuesday night, destroying thousands of homes and displacing residents.
Bass had been in Ghana, attending the inauguration of the country’s new president as part of the U.S. delegation, where she also met with the country’s first female vice president. She returned to Los Angeles late Wednesday afternoon as the fires intensified.
Her absence amid the crisis raised questions about her leadership, placing her in the crosshairs of political critics who accuse her of neglecting her duties during a state of emergency. Among those leading the charge is tech billionaire and Donald Trump ally Elon Musk, who called Bass “utterly incompetent” and reposted posts that suggested she was a “DEI hire.” Rick Caruso, the billionaire developer and former Republican who narrowly lost to Democrat Bass in the 2022 mayoral race, also condemned her absence, claiming it contributed to a delayed response to the fires. “We have a mayor who seems to be more concerned about being at some party, wherever that is,” Caruso told the Los Angeles Times.
Read More: How to Help Victims of the Los Angeles Wildfires
Bass defended her response in a press conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening. She insisted that she remained in contact with fire commanders and key officials while abroad. “Although I wasn’t physically here, I was in touch with many of the individuals standing here throughout the entire time,” Bass said. She added that she had taken the “fastest route back,” including a combination of military and commercial flights, and emphasized her ongoing communication with officials “every hour” of her flights.
“This is going to be an effort of all of us coming together, and we have to resist any effort to pull us apart,” she said in response to the criticism.
The wildfires, which began on Tuesday night in the Palisades area and quickly spread to more than 17,200 acres, are the most destructive the city has ever seen. At least five people had died as of Thursday morning as a result of the wildfires, which were fueled by strong winds and dry conditions. More than 100,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders.
Read More: How the LA Fires Are Impacting Hollywood
While the fires raged, questions also swirled around the city’s readiness for such an event. Some on social media, including the Los Angeles Times’ owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, accused Bass of cutting the fire department’s budget before the wildfires, but Politico reported Wednesday night that the city’s fire budget actually increased more than $50 million year-over-year compared to the last budget cycle as additional funding for the fire department was set aside in a separate fund during contract negotiations.
Bass, who was sworn in as mayor in December 2022 and is the first woman mayor of Los Angeles, has strong support within Democratic circles and has drawn the ire of conservatives. She served six terms as a Democrat in Congress and was a prominent figure during the 2020 presidential election, where she emerged as a contender for Vice President before Biden ultimately selected Kamala Harris. In 2024, she was invited to speak at the Democratic National Convention.
