Expressionless Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass She declined to answer reporters' questions after being pressed about her initial absence as bushfires raged in her jurisdiction.
“Do you owe the citizens an apology for being absent while their homes burned? And do you regret cutting the fire department's budget by millions of dollars, Madam Mayor?” Sky News correspondent David Blevins asked While Bass was waiting to get off the plane on Wednesday after her flight to Ghana.
“Don't you have anything to say to the citizens today?” He added.
California wildfires are burning across Los Angeles County, forcing thousands to evacuate
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass listens as Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks while touring the damage to the city on Wednesday. (Mayor Karen Bass/X)
Bass refused to acknowledge the reporter, and continued to ignore questions while looking at the ground.
“No apology to them? Do you think you should?” Visited Ghana While this was unfolding at home?” he said.
“Madam Mayor, let me ask you again, do you have anything to say to the citizens today when you return?” He said.
The Palisades Fire burns a building in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Wednesday. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
Bass said, during a late afternoon press conference in Los Angeles, on Wednesday, that she had taken the “fastest route back,” adding that she had used… Military plane For its quick arrival.
“I took the fastest route back, which included being on a military plane, which facilitated our communications,” she said, admitting that she was thousands of miles away when the first bushfires broke out on Tuesday. “So I was able to stay on the phone the entire flight.”
“We are fighting for you and for everyone in Los Angeles,” she said, reading apparently prepared remarks.
Bass's leadership was in the spotlight as many blamed her for the disaster, pointing to the massive budget cuts she made to critical firefighting forces and pumped in spending on the city's homeless population.
For the fiscal year 2023-2024, Los Angeles The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is budgeted at $837 million, representing about 65% of the $1.3 billion homeless budget.
From the 2023-2024 to 2024-2025 budgets, the LAFD budget was reduced byy $17,553,814 from $837,191,237 to $819,637,423.
Vehicles and homes burn as strong winds fuel devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area, forcing people to evacuate, at the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, 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.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna Fox News said five people had been killed in the Eaton fire, as of Wednesday afternoon.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Bass' office for comment.
Fox News Digital's Breck Dumas contributed to this report.
