LA Mayor Karen Bass Slammed For Slashing Fire Department Budget By Millions; Fire Hydrants Run Dry

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass faced backlash on Wednesday over policy decisions she made that left her city ill prepared for combatting the deadly fires that erupted this week, causing billions of dollars worth of damage.

Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of The Los Angeles Times, called out Bass’ failings in a post on X.

“Fires in LA are sadly no surprise, yet the Mayor cut LA Fire Department’s budget by $23M,” he wrote. “And reports of empty fire hydrants raise serious questions. Competence matters… Follow @latimes for live coverage in partnership with @Spectrum.”

“Our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes and are seeking shelter,” he added. “The live camera view coverage will give our readers a real time view of the fires and the stream is open to all Angelenos. Stay safe.”

Our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes and are seeking shelter. Fires in LA are sadly no surprise, yet the Mayor cut LA Fire Department’s budget by $23M. And reports of empty fire hydrants raise serious questions. Competence matters… Follow @latimes for live…

— Dr. Pat Soon-Shiong (@DrPatSoonShiong) January 8, 2025

The New York Post reported that the cut was the second largest cut that Bass made in her 2024-25 fiscal year budget.

Well over a thousand structures were destroyed, The New York Times reported, as officials worried that the worst was still yet to come with well over 15,000 structures at risk of being destroyed. Tens of thousands of people evacuated their homes and hundreds of thousands more were left without power.

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The main fire, the Palisades Fire, has now destroyed more than 11,000 acres and another major fire, the Eaton Fire, has destroyed more than 10,600 acres. There were at least two smaller fires that had erupted in the area, one of which had been contained.

Bass was more than 7,000 miles away visiting the African nation of Ghana for the inauguration of President John Dramani Mahama when fires erupted Tuesday.

FOX 11: “If you’re wondering, ‘Where is LA Mayor Karen Bass?’ She has been in Ghana, so she’s apparently on her way back. That’s why we have not seen her.” pic.twitter.com/tEF9q64HFK

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 8, 2025