Recall Effort Launches Against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass

Following the disastrous January wildfires in Los Angeles, a recall effort has now launched against the California city’s Democrat Mayor Karen Bass.

The campaign to recall Mayor Bass officially launched its website on Tuesday.

The mayor faces significant backlash due to her response to the wildfires that burned through the Pacific Palisades in January.

Among the criticisms is the fact that she was in Ghana at the start of the fires.

Bass failed to return to the city despite dangerous fire condition warnings ahead of time.

If the recall petition meets the threshold of needed signatures, then a special election will be triggered.

The petition will need to be signed by at least 15% of Los Angeles’ registered voters.

The group launching the effort includes people directly impacted by the wildfire.

It also includes other residents frustrated with the crime and homelessness issues plaguing the city.

The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday that the groundwork was being laid to fundraise for Bass’s potential ouster.

A source reportedly told the outlet that there is a bipartisan makeup of the people involved in the effort.

The website, RecallBassNow.com, lists several reasons for supporting her removal.

A statement on the site reads:

“The LAFD’s budget was slashed by more than $17 million, stripping critical resources from firefighters as Los Angeles faces escalating wildfire threats and emergency response challenges.

“At a time when rapid response is more crucial than ever, officials are underfunding the very department responsible for protecting lives and property.”

Bass recently fired LAFD Chief Kirstin Crowley, who is appealing her termination.

Crowly was replaced by Ronnie Villanueva.

Previously, Crowley had warned about the potential risks of not having enough funding and staff for the department.

In a statement last month, Bass said:

“Acting in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I have removed Kristin Crowley as Fire Chief.

“We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch.”

“Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the President of the Fire Commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after-action report on the fires,” she added.

“The Chief refused. These require her removal.

“The heroism of our firefighters – during the Palisades fire and every single day – is without question.

“Bringing new leadership to the fire department is what our city needs.”

In a recent interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles, Bass said that she was not aware of the potential severity of the fires that burned down thousands of homes and businesses.

Bass claims that she “felt absolutely terrible not being here.”

“It didn’t reach that level to me to say, ‘Something terrible could happen, and maybe you shouldn’t have gone on the trip,'” the Democrat told the outlet.

“I think that’s one of the things we need to look at.

“Everything that happened, including that, needs to be examined,” she continued.

The mayor revealed that there are at least two investigations into the city’s response to the fires.

The National Weather Service put out the “fire weather warning” on January 3.

The mayor left for Africa the next day.

She did not return until January 8, according to Fox 11 LA.

A Change.org petition has over 176,000 signatures asking her to resign as mayor.

Still, there has been no indication that Bass would step down voluntarily.

In a statement, Doug Herman, a strategist for Bass, claimed:

“This recall is nothing more than another extreme right-wing political stunt designed to divide Los Angeles when we need to move forward.”

https://slaynews.com/news/recall-effort-launches-against-los-angeles-mayor-karen-bass/