Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass addressed questions this week about her leadership during the deadly January wildfires in Los Angeles and her trip to Africa before the fires erupted.
Bass acknowledged publicly for first time that her Africa visit at the time the Jan. 7 fires broke out in an anticipated Santa Ana windstorm — described by firefighters as among the worst conditions they’ve ever seen — was a mistake.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Bass said in an interview Thursday with NBCLA’s Conan Nolan. “There is no question about that.”
Bass traveled to Ghana as part of a Biden Administration delegation for the inauguration of the West Africa nation’s president. Reports earlier that week warned of the possibility of life-threatening severe weather and fire conditions due to the Santa Ana windstorm.
Bass was on the trip on the morning of Jan. 7 when the Palisades Fire erupted in Pacific Palisades. The fire on the Los Angeles County coast burned down entire neighborhoods and went on to become the ninth-deadliest and third-most destructive wildfire on record in California.
The criticism mounted as Bass returned from the trip Jan. 8. At the time, she said, “Although I was not physically here, I was in contact with many of the individuals that are standing here throughout the entire time. I was on the phone, on the plane, almost every hour of the flight.”
LA Mayor Karen Bass agrees her trip to Africa, just prior to the historic windstorm and wildfire disaster, was a mistake. @NBCLA https://t.co/NnvhcxNPol
— Conan Nolan (@conanNBCLA) February 15, 2025
Bass, who took office in December 2022 after serving in the State Assembly and U.S. House, was asked whether her mission is to regain some of the confidence that may have been lost as the city faces the daunting challenges of recovery and rebuilding.
“Absolutely it is,” Bass said. “And, I think that I have to demonstrate that every day by show what we’re doing, what is working, what are the challenges. And, to bring Los Angeles forward.
“I am focused on one thing and one thing only. That is to make sure that our city is able to recover and rebuild and that all of those individuals who live in the Palisades can go home. That’s my focus. That’s my mission. That’s what I’m going to do every day.”
Bass said part of that mission involves a one-stop center for workers affected by the fires that opened last week. The center provides resources such as assistance for job seekers.
The mayor also pointed to bringing permit applications for the rebuilding process under one roof as the debris clearance process continues. The city of Los Angeles opened a specialized planning office designed to expedite the process, which often includes layers of red tape for residents whose homes were destroyed.
The Centralized Permit Operation Center opened Wednesday at the West Los Angeles office of the city Department of Building and Safety. Representatives of city departments are at the center to help with expediting permits and other documents needed to begin the rebuilding process.
Los Angeles County is also operating a one-stop rebuilding center.
Debris clearance in the Eaton Fire in Altadena and Palisades Fire burn areas entered Phase 2 this week, which involves clearance operations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on residential properties in both fire zones for residents who opted into the free program. Those who opted out can hire their own contractors to do the work.
Phase 1 of the process involved hazardous waste cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency.
[publish_date
