As the deadliest wildfires in Los Angeles history continue to devastate communities, questions are mounting about leadership at the highest levels of city government. The infernos have already claimed 16 lives, destroyed thousands of homes, and left countless families displaced across Southern California’s upscale communities.

Meanwhile, firefighters battle the relentless blazes with what their chief describes as desperately inadequate resources.

“My message is the fire department needs to be properly funded. It’s not,” LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley told Fox 11 last week in a rare public rebuke of city leadership. Let that sink in for a moment – while homes burn, the fire department lacks basic resources.

But where was Mayor Karen Bass as her city burned? Sound like leadership to you?

Bass Breaks Her Promise

While flames engulfed the Pacific Palisades and emergency crews worked overtime, Bass was thousands of miles away in Ghana, attending a presidential inauguration. The mayor’s foreign excursion – her fifth international trip this year alone (surprise, surprise) – directly violated a campaign promise she made to voters just before taking office.

“Not only would I of course live here, but I also would not travel internationally — the only places I would go would be DC, Sacramento, San Francisco and New York, in relation to LA,” Bass pledged during her campaign. That promise helped her narrowly defeat Rick Caruso, who had secured the endorsement of the city’s firefighters. Remember this the next time Democrats talk about keeping their word.

Instead of keeping her promise, however, Bass has embarked on a worldwide tour while in office: three trips to France for Olympic planning (because apparently Zoom doesn’t exist), another to Mexico for a presidential inauguration, and now this African adventure – all while her city faces unprecedented crisis.

“I think being out of state and not at her post when the crisis broke out is fairly devastating for her,” said Rob Stutzman, a Republican political consultant and former aide to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “This is the biggest disaster in Los Angeles since the Watts riots. You have one job as mayor. It’s to be here and be leading.”

Bass In Hot Water

The mayor’s absence comes amid growing scrutiny of her administration’s priorities. The same firefighters who opposed her candidacy now say Bass has cut their budget, hampering their ability to protect lives and property. Wonder where those budget priorities really lie? Between January 7-10, as the Palisades Fire exploded across the region, Bass was posing for photos in Ghana while emergency services struggled with limited resources.

Even after returning Wednesday, Bass seemed more focused on damage control than taking responsibility. Indeed, she urged her constituents to “reject those who seek to divide us.”

Classic deflection from the Democratic playbook.

But for many Angelenos watching their neighborhoods burn, the division isn’t coming from critics. Instead, it’s coming from City Hall. A mayor who promised to stay home instead jets around the globe. A fire department begging for basic funding while City Hall spends on international travel. And now, as the flames continue to spread, citizens are left wondering: Who’s really looking out for Los Angeles?

“This wasn’t unpredictable, like an earthquake,” Stutzman noted. Indeed, for residents who trusted Bass’s promise to stay home and focus on their city, the betrayal feels all too predictable. This is another example of Democratic leadership putting progressive photo ops ahead of public safety.

As Los Angeles continues to burn and the death toll rises, Bass’s broken promise stands as a stark reminder of the gap between campaign rhetoric and governing reality. The only question remaining is whether voters will remember this betrayal when they next head to the polls.

Key Takeaways: 

• Democrat Mayor Bass broke an explicit promise to stay local, choosing foreign travel over crisis management.
• Fire Chief confirms department underfunded while mayor prioritizes international trips.
• 16 dead, thousands homeless as leadership vacuum compounds wildfire crisis.
• A pattern of Democratic governance prioritizing global photo ops over public safety.

Sources: The New York Post, The Washington Examiner