‘Have you nothing to say?’: LA Mayor Karen Bass’ silence on deadly wildfires speaks volumes
Leave it to our elected officials to drop the ball when we need them most!
As wildfires continue to rage across greater Los Angeles, residents have never been more uncertain of what’s next. As of now, 35 thousand acres remain ablaze, and over 10 thousand structures have been destroyed between the Palisades Fire on the west side and the Eaton Fire near Altadena in the east. With their futures in limbo, you’d think leaders like Mayor Karen Bass would, at the very least, try to provide a modicum of comfort to victims. Instead, she’s doubling down on her own assertion that the city’s fire response has been A-okay, actually, and staying silent when pressed for answers.
Karen Bass clip goes viral as millions of LA residents demand answers
A Sky News interview is currently making the rounds online showing Karen Bass, fresh off a trip to Ghana (during which she attended the inauguration of president John Dramani Mahama), being grilled by reporter David Blevins about her response to the fires. Given that many are accusing Bass of mishandling the situation, Belvins asked, “Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning?”—only to be met with absolute silence. A clearly uncomfortable Bass failed to even acknowledge the journalist’s presence, making for a seriously cringe-worthy watch.
So, why is Mayor Bass shouldering the blame for the ongoing wildfires? Well, that’s because $17.4 million was cut from the Los Angeles Fire Department’s (LAFD) budget for the 2025 fiscal year, with much of that money being reallocated to tackling the homelessness crisis—as well as giving cops a nearly 7% increase, per CBS News. And according to actual firefighters, the consequences are dire. Speaking with FOX 11, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley criticized the city’s decision to slash LAFD funding, saying curtly: “My message is the fire department needs to be properly funded. It’s not.”
During a press conference held yesterday, Jan. 9, Bass flat-out refused to answer a question about why she was out of the country while high wind warnings were becoming increasingly dangerous, telling a reporter: “When lives have been saved and homes have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, [and] what didn’t work, and to correct or to hold accountable any body, department, individual, etc. But my focus right now is on the lives and on the homes,” per ABC News.
Karen Bass isn’t entirely to blame for the fires, but she represents a far greater problem
Look, even I can admit that, in terms of the Sky News clip, the interviewer didn’t give Bass much of an opportunity to speak up. Despite my usual reluctance to cut politicians any slack, Bass had just returned from an overnight trip and was probably distraught by the events taking place in her city while she away. After all, Bass does call LA home; from a basic human empathy standpoint, I get how that would be just as hard for her as it is for thousands of other residents across the city. Not an excuse, but she probably wanted to run her statement through a team of PR managers to avoid further controversy.
Our women leaders, especially women of color, are also subject to a whole new layer of misogyny (a.k.a. misogynoir), and the interviewer’s little quip about Elon Musk makes me think that he might not’ve had the best intentions here. We’ve already heard enough of his conspiracy theory-laden, MAGA rhetoric about how Dems are somehow to blame. Bass isn’t obliged to talk to anyone, particularly in a moment of crisis. She was clearly caught off-guard, but boy 0h boy, was her silence so not a good look here. Bass also had the chance to take accountability during the Thursday press conference, but instead, she used her platform to dodge any hard-hitting questions. Now, celebrities like Sarah Michelle Gellar are calling for the mayor to resign in what’s becoming one of the most strangely unifying moments of recent history.
Again, although I think Bass deserves a little grace for her run-in at the airport, it doesn’t make up for the fact that LA—a city that experiences thousands of fires and Santa Ana winds every year—was woefully unprepared for this type of disaster. Obviously, there’s only so much one elected official can do considering the unpredictability of weather, but being totally unwilling to accept criticism for the city’s lack of a coordinated response is shameful. The LAFD’s under-staffing and under-funding represents a greater systemic problem and really drives home how unprepared—and, let’s be real, unwilling—the U.S. is to tackle the climate crisis. For now, let’s just hope that when all is said and done, these fires bring about actual, meaningful change—but I’m doubtful.
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
