Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has repeatedly faced questions about why she left Garner in the weeks since the Palisades fire, as warnings of dangerous winds are increasingly worrying .
This week, Bass and her office made their first speech on her decision, placing the blame on Los Angeles Fire Department chief Kristin Crowley and others who did not warn her about the weather at a high level High attention to forecasts.
“Before other major weather emergencies, the mayor or at least the mayor's chief of staff – has received a direct call from the fire chief, marking the seriousness of the situation. This time, this call will never come.” A spokesperson for Beth Zach Seidl said in a statement.
Seidel said Crowley didn't contact the mayor's chief representative until Tuesday morning, January 7, after Palisades had burned.
On January 2, the National Weather Service began warning its X feed on January 7 that it could have “extreme fire conditions.”
The agency's forecast escalated to “significant risk – action” and “critical fire conditions” on January 3. The next day, as part of the presidential delegation, the bass left Ghana.
By January 6, the agency shines on X: “Look up!!! Expected Sunday morning in the afternoon, life-threatening, destructive, widespread storm.”
In many news reports, the Los Angeles area saw almost no rainy winter, a terrifying wind forecast.
Tensions between Bass and Crowley poured into public opinion in the days after the fire broke out, Crowley said on TV that the city of Los Angeles and Bass in Bass – failed to provide more funding and resources that made her and her department fail.
A fire department representative on Thursday refused to charge Seidl directly for Crowley not to call the bass.
“LAFD followed our standard preparation procedures for extreme fire weather forecast on January 7,” the fire department said in a statement. “In addition, publication was also proposed while LAFD coordinated with other city departments and elected officials. Notifications and media consultations.”
The department used traditional and social media to notify the public of notifications about the fire hazard, and also conducted media interviews, consulted two separate media and notified city officials, the statement said.
Additionally, LAFD defended its decision not to take any engines and firefighters to Palisades as they did in the past – despite being warned of the most dangerous winds in recent years heading to the area.
Asked about the bass statement, Fire Staff Union President Freddy Escobar said there has been speculation since January 7 that quarterback was on Monday morning.
“The independent review and report after the action need to be completed before we continue to point our reckless fingers,” Escobar said. “I can tell you that our ranking firefighters appreciate Chief Crowley's honesty with the fire department, and the resources she needs to fight for our work.”
Bass in this week's TV interview, hinting that she's left in the dark about the severity of the risk of wildfires.
“Saying something terrible may happen isn't that level for me, maybe you shouldn't be traveling,” she told Fox 11 News.
She also suggested the city was not ready for the fire, which destroyed nearly 7,000 homes and other buildings and killed at least 12 people.
“Despite the warning, I don't think our preparation is normal,” Bass said.
She pointed out that last week's heavy rain was an example of the city and county taking action together.
“When we knew we were going into the rain, you saw us get together and talk about our sandbags and bring the K-Rails out,” she said. “That preparation didn’t happen.”
In an FOX interview and interview with KABC-TV Channel 7, Bass said she would not go to Ghana if she received enough warnings about the catastrophic wildfire.
“Honestly, if I have all the information I need to have, then the last thing I have to do is not in town,” she told KABC.
Bass was in a Ghanaian position after attending the inauguration of Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama when the fire tore through Palisades Hills on January 7. Photos were presented at the Embassy cocktail party.
Seidel said she spent most of her gatherings making phone calls in a separate room.
Bass also said she had telecommunications on military planes flying in between Ghana and Washington, D.C. after the fire broke out, and bass was an ongoing presence on social media, urging Angelinos to escape the evacuation area and announced her decision to be urgent. An emergency was declared.
After landing at Los Angeles International Airport, the bass stood up quietly, mostly avoiding eye contact as Sky News reporters pressed her to whether she needed to apologize to Angelenos. The video of confrontation spread.
Back home, Bass initially had a defensive attitude to her trip, telling reporters she was focused on recovery. But she promised a comprehensive assessment of the city's actions before and after the fire, including those of the fire department.
Since then, critics have questioned bass’ judgment and leadership.
After strong protests from residents, the bass reversed her decision to open Pacific Palisade to the public. She also reversed her initial plan to pay for her fire recovery czar, Steve Soboroff, for $500,000 in 90 days of work. Soboroff works for free now.
One of Bass's most acute critics is developer Rick Caruso, who was against her in 2022 and did not rule out another campaign against her. He positioned himself as a leader in fire recovery by building a foundation that is convening top engineering and technology companies to accelerate the reconstruction of the Palisades and Eaton Fire Zones.
Times worker David Zahniser contributed to the report.
