Featureless Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declined to answer questions from reporters after being forced into her initial absence as wildfires raged through her jurisdiction.
“Do you owe the citizens an apology for being away while their homes burned? And do you regret cutting the fire department’s budget by millions of dollars, Madam Mayor?” asked Sky News reporter David Blevins while Bass was waiting to disembark on Wednesday after her trip to Ghana.
“Don’t you have anything to say to the citizens today?” he added.
CALIFORNIA FIRES RAGE THROUGH LOS ANGELES COUNTY, FORCING THOUSANDS TO EVACUATE
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass listens as Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as he tours the city’s fire damage Wednesday. (Mayor Karen Bass / X)
Bass refused to acknowledge the reporter, continuing to ignore questions as she stared at the ground.
“No apology to them? Do you think you should have was visiting Ghana while this was going on at home?” he said.
“Mrs. Mayoress, just to ask you one more time, do you have anything to say to the citizens upon your return today? he said.
The Palisades Fire engulfed a structure in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
During a late-afternoon press conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Bass said she took the “fastest way back,” adding that she used military plane for her quick arrival.
“I was returning by the fastest route, which included being on a military plane, which made it easier for us to communicate,” she said, admitting she was thousands of miles away when the first wildfires broke out on Tuesday. “So I could be on the phone the whole flight.”
“We’re fighting for you and everyone in Los Angeles,” she said, looking like she was reading prepared remarks.
Bass’ leadership has been in the spotlight as many have blamed her for the disaster, pointing to massive budget cuts she made to critical firefighting forces that she spent on the city’s homeless.
For the fiscal year 2023-2024. Los Angeles allocated $837 million to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), roughly 65% of the $1.3 billion homeless budget.
From the 2023-2024 budget. until the 2024-2025 budget, the LAFD budget is reduced bMr $17,553,814 from $837,191,237 to $819,637,423.
Vehicles and homes burn as high winds fan a devastating wildfire in the Los Angeles area, forcing people to evacuate, at the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on Wednesday. (Reuters/David Swanson)
Bass’ arrival on the scene comes as wildfires continue to rage in Los Angeles County, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents under evacuation orders.
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Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told Fox News that five people have died in the Eaton fire since Wednesday afternoon.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Bass’ office for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Breck Dumas contributed to this report.
