Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) faces growing backlash over her response to the wildfires that have ripped through the city, raising questions about her political future as the region continues to struggle to put out wildfires. are.
Critics point out that Bass, who vowed before taking office not to travel overseas, decided to travel abroad before the wildfires and approved a budget that cut funding to the city's fire department. I am doing it.
The criticism comes as multiple California officials are being held accountable for wildfires that have killed at least 24 people. But Bass has faced the fiercest criticism because he is a city leader and a prominent progressive who defeated a wealthy former Republican in the 2022 mayoral race.
“She failed the leadership test,” said one California Democratic strategist. “This is a truly devastating moment for politicians.”
Given the fact that Los Angeles is at the center of the crisis, Mr. Bass has been under greater scrutiny than most local politicians in California.
On Monday, Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shione said the paper “made a mistake” in endorsing Bass, adding, “I thought it was very important for me to come out early on.” said.
President-elect Trump attacked Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom (Democratic) over the fires. And as of Tuesday, a Change.org petition calling for Bass' resignation had more than 134,000 signatures.
But some of the most notable criticism of Bass, who is up for re-election next year, came from her 2022 Republican-turned-Democratic opponent, Rick Caruso.
“The mayor is out of the country, the city is burning, and we don't have the resources to put it out,” Caruso told Los Angeles' FOX 11 News last week. “It's like we're in a third world country and there are a lot of tough questions that we have to ask our mayors, city councils, legislators and county representatives. Why haven't we made an effort to alleviate this? ”
Elon Musk, a tech billionaire and Trump ally, was among those who expressed support for Caruso.
“[Caruso] They seized the opportunity,” said a California Democratic Party strategist. “In a vacuum, okay, her position is politically tarnished, but there's obviously a very wealthy, well-resourced guy here.”
“He used that to his advantage.”
The criticism of Basu began as she was returning from an official visit to Ghana for the presidential inauguration. The trip home came amidst wildfires in the greater Los Angeles area. It also came four years after she told the New York Times that she would not travel abroad if elected mayor.
Bass' supporters have objected to this, citing Los Angeles as an international city and host of the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“People want to hold someone accountable,” said Steve Maviglio, a Democratic consultant who served as Mr. Bass' deputy chief of staff when he was a state representative. “She wasn't here, so she was an easy target.”
Ms Bass's troubles continued once she arrived in Los Angeles, where she remained silent as Sky News reporters peppered her with questions about her response to the fire, her travels abroad and the backlash from critics.
The mayor is under further scrutiny over his $17.6 million cut to the Los Angeles Fire Department's budget, which critics say affected the response to the disaster.
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Christine Crowley said in an interview last week that she believes the city failed to perform to the best of its firefighters during the crisis.
But Bass' supporters point out that the city was negotiating a contract with the firefighters union at the time, and the City Council voted to approve a union contract that increased pay and benefits for members.
“It's a technical detail that definitely makes people who didn't like Karen Bass jump and say, 'Look, she cut the department,'” said Mike Trujillo, a Democratic strategist based in Los Angeles. spoke. “I don't think the fire chief is wrong when she says this or that didn't happen. She's an expert in her field, but when it comes to 200 mph winds… I don't know how much of a difference an extra $17 million would have made.”
Others argue there were other ways the city could have been better prepared to respond to the catastrophic situation.
Former California Congressman Mike Gatto (D) said, “So much of the public discussion has focused on these two very sexy and controversial issues at the expense of what our city really needs to learn from its mistakes.” He seems to be concentrating,” he said, referring to Basu's remarks. Overseas travel and the fire department.
“It can be simple things like speeding up response times, keeping evacuation routes open, increasing brush clearing, and aggressively spraying hillsides with fire retardants,” he said. says.
Ms. Bass' supporters say she has consistently demonstrated public power, even in the midst of fires. Bass issued an executive order on Tuesday to expedite the rebuilding of lost housing.
“Karen Bass' strength is that she is a quiet operator who builds coalitions,” Trujillo said. “She's not going to puff her chest. She's not going to put her name on things for ego.”
But some question whether Mr. Basu will be able to survive this political crisis.
“We don't know if she can recover,” said an anonymous strategist. “It was a moment when voters really paid close attention, and you only get one chance to make a first impression. After that, she hasn't had a lot of scrutiny as mayor until this point.”
