Los Angeles has been hit by devastating fires that have destroyed over 1,000 properties, including the homes of celebrities. Citizens blame the mayor, Karen Bass, for the chaos that has befallen them, claiming that one of her decisions has severely hampered the firefighters’ ability to combat a fire of such magnitude.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass cut the fire department’s budget by $17.6 million – just a few months before the fires turned the city into an uncontrolled inferno that firefighters are still struggling to contain.
The drastic reduction in funding for the Los Angeles Fire Department represents the second-largest budget cut in Mayor Karen Bass’s budget for the 2024/25 fiscal year, according to city data.
At the same time, the police budget was increased by $126 million, according to a graph shared by Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia.
Bass originally planned an even larger cut to the fire department budget – by as much as $23 million.
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Mayor was in Ghana while fires raged
Details of the budget cuts have once again come to the forefront as the mayor faces widespread public condemnation for being revealed on Wednesday to have been in Africa for the inauguration of the Ghanaian president, while winds fanned the flames and turned parts of her city into an apocalyptic inferno.
In her absence, Bass took the time to commend the firefighters and other emergency services for their work “throughout the night to protect Los Angeles residents affected by the fires.”
“Los Angeles residents should be aware that the wind is expected to become even stronger throughout the morning, and they should follow local warnings, be cautious, and stay safe,” Bass said in a post on the X platform.
A reporter's question to the mayor of LA:
— Timothy P Farage (@TimFarage) January 9, 2025
"Do you regret cutting the fire department by millions of dollars, Madam Mayor? Have you nothing to say today?"
Woke LA mayor Karen Bass' galling response to wildfires https://t.co/TqeTYWYt2H via https://t.co/DqaWBftHkc
The fire, which has been out of control since early Wednesday morning, has already destroyed homes and blocked roads as tens of thousands of residents fled, straining the city’s already stretched resources.
The dire situation has forced the Los Angeles Fire Department to take the rare step of appealing to off-duty firefighters to help battle the numerous fires ravaging the city.
There have also been reports of firefighters running out of water as they try to contain the growing fires in the area.
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Source: Novosti, Photo: Printscreen X @TimFarage