Where is LA Mayor Karen Bass amid devastating wildfires?

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is coming under criticism for being on a trip outside of the country as fast-moving and devastating wildfires continue to rip through parts of Southern California.

On Wednesday afternoon, Bass returned to Los Angeles following a trip to Ghana as part of a U.S. delegation to Accra for the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama, who was elected last year.

At 12:53 p.m. local time, Bass issued a message on X alongside a video showing her on the ground in Los Angeles speaking with firefighters and officials. 

"The impact of these fires and winds are devastating," she wrote. "I just got off the phone with @POTUS and discussed an urgent path forward towards recovery for the thousands of families impacted. Thank you@CAgovernor and Senator @AlexPadilla4CA for your continued support for our city."

The mayor declared a local state of emergency on Tuesday in response to the fire and said that the city was "working AGGRESSIVELY" to confront the emergency.

LA Mayor Karen Bass criticized

Yet, many Los Angeles residents criticized the mayor on social media, with some saying she should resign from her position. Democrat Bass was elected to office in 2022.

President-elect Donald Trump’s foreign policy advisor Richard Grenell criticized Bass on X for being "in Africa while our city is literally burning to the ground." 

Meanwhile, tech billionaire Elon Musk also called Bass "utterly incompetent," sharing a FOX 11 video featuring Rick Caruso, who ran for mayor in 2022. Caruso pointed out Bass’s absence and compared the Pacific Palisades to a "third-world country."

FOX TV Stations has contacted the mayor’s office for comment. 

Gov. Newsom cites reasons for departure

Despite criticism on social media, California Gov. Gavin Newsom thanked Bass at an emergency press conference Tuesday for her leadership.

"Thank you to Mayor Bass who was on the phone immediately this morning, making sure even in absentia that she’s here organizing everything she can to make sure we’re successful as well," he said.

During a press conference Wednesday morning, Celine Cordero, the deputy chief of staff to Bass, also said the mayor would be on the ground in Los Angeles "shortly."

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"The mayor will be on the ground shortly, very shortly this morning and engaged, but I want to assure the community and the city, our mayor has been actively engaged 100% of the time; the entire last 24 hours throughout this unfortunate event and crisis," she stated. "The mayor has been in constant communication with our chief of police, our fire chief, our council president, our law enforcement partners, our supervisor, and our county partners. So, I just to stress, she has had 100% access the entire time that she's been traveling and been actively involved in the decision-making."

Bass defends LA Fire Department

Last year, Bass released a proposed $12.8 billion city budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year — a decrease from this fiscal year's $242 million spending plan.

Significantly, the proposal — described by Bass as a "reset" — included a decrease of about $23 million for the L.A. Fire Department.

The adopted budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year increased the amount for the fire department to $819,637,423, according to a summary on the city administrative officer's website, which meant the department's funding saw a decrease of $17.6 million rather than almost $23 million.

Wildfires continue to burn across Southern California

During an update on Wednesday afternoon, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said five people were killed, a significant number of injuries were reported, and 1,000 structures were damaged in the fires.

Authorities also said 70,000 people were under evacuation orders in the LA area as wildfires threatened at least 28,000 structures.