total-news-1024x279-1__1_-removebg-preview.png

SELECT LANGUAGE BELOW

LA Mayor Karen Bass promised before being elected to not go abroad — then was caught in Ghana when fires erupted

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass promised voters she wouldn't travel abroad before she was elected, but she was caught running through Ghana last week during the worst wildfires in the city's history.

Exactly one year before taking office, Mr. Bass pledged: new york times If elected, “Of course I would not only live here; [in Los Angeles]However, I don't plan on traveling abroad either. The only places I would go, as far as Los Angeles, are DC, Sacramento, San Francisco, and New York. ”

At the time, the former congressman was answering questions about his travels around the world as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

But Ms Bass has since broken that promise at least five times this year alone, including recently during devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and traveling to Africa for Ghana's presidential inauguration. and when critics accused him of evading the task of returning home.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who had promised not to travel abroad during her term in office, was returning from the inauguration ceremony in Africa as Ghana's 14th president when a wildfire broke out in the city. @diasporaafricanforumofficial Instagram
The Palisades Fire has already killed several people and destroyed thousands of acres and homes. Reuters

Basu traveled to Africa to celebrate the inauguration of Ghana's 14th president, John Dramani Mahama, four days before the wildfires began on Tuesday. During her tenure as mayor, she traveled to Mexico for President Claudia Sheinbaum's inauguration and traveled to France three times for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the newspaper said.

Rivals and voters on the other side have sharply criticized the mayor's overseas expansion.

Bus during trip to Ghana. Instagram
Critics across the aisle have called for Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to resign. Getty Images

Even liberal Angelenos are furious at the Democratic mayor who is battling a deadly blaze that has killed 16 people, destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, and some of the blazes are still burning out of control. are.

Conservatives, along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, have called for her resignation.

Firefighters who supported his opponent Rick Caruso in the 2022 mayoral race have accused Bass of cutting budgets and hindering firefighting efforts. Even the city's fire chief told reporters last week that he believes the Los Angeles Fire Department has been failed by city leaders.

“My message is that fire departments need to be properly funded. That's not the case,” LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley said. fox 11.

As the fires continue to rage, many are questioning how Bass, who has lost public trust, will be able to serve effectively in the future.

As the fire rages on, critics wonder how Bass will move forward as a leader. Reuters

Rob Stutzman, a Republican political consultant and aide to former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, told the Times, “The fact that she was out of state and not in her post when the crisis erupted was I think it's pretty devastating for them.”

“This is the biggest disaster in Los Angeles since the Watts riots. You have one job as mayor, and that's to be here and lead the charge. This is something as unpredictable as an earthquake. It wasn't.”

Since returning to the state on Wednesday, Bass has continually urged voters to “reject those who seek to divide us.” She even made another promise. The idea was that once the fire was out, there would be a “full explanation of what worked and specifically what didn't work.”

Bass claimed that while returning from Ghana, he kept in touch with people in the state “almost every hour of the flight.” She said as soon as she landed, she headed to the Pacific Palisades fire-hit area.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Telegram
WhatsApp