Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass faced intense scrutiny for her absence during devastating wildfires that ravaged the city. Despite reporters' attempts to question her about her trip to Ghana and the Fire Department's budget cuts, Bass remained silent, refusing to address the public's concerns.
An expressionless Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass refused to answer reporters' questions after being pressed on her initial absence as wildfires raged across her jurisdiction. 'Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning? And do you regret cutting the Fire Department budget by millions of dollars, Madame Mayor?' Sky News reporter David Blevins asked as Bass waited to deplane Wednesday following her trip to Ghana.
'Have you absolutely nothing to say to the citizens today?' he added. CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES RAGE ACROSS LOS ANGELES COUNTY, FORCING THOUSANDS TO EVACUATE Bass refused to acknowledge the reporter, continuing to ignore questions as she looked at the ground. 'No apology to them? Do you think you should have been visiting Ghana while this was unfolding back home?' he said. 'Madam mayor, let me ask you just again, have you anything to say to the citizens today as you return?' he said. On Wednesday, during a late-afternoon news conference in Los Angeles, Bass said that she took the 'fastest route back,' adding that she used a military plane for her speedy arrival. 'I took the fastest route back, which included being on a military plane, which facilitated our communications,' she said, acknowledging that she was thousands of miles away when the first wildfires broke out Tuesday. 'So I was able to be on the phone the entire time of the flight.' LOS ANGELES MAYOR SLASHED FIRE BUDGET LAST YEAR, PRIORITIZED HOMELESS POPULATION 'We are fighting for you and everyone in Los Angeles,' she said, appearing to be reading prepared remarks. Bass' leadership has been in the spotlight as many have blamed her for the disaster, pointing to the massive budget cuts she made to critical firefighting forces that she poured into spending on the city's homeless population. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Los Angeles budgeted $837 million for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), which was roughly 65% the size of the homeless budget of $1.3 billio
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES LOS ANGELES MAYOR Karen Bass Budget Cuts Homelessness
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