Mayor Karen Bass discusses recovery efforts during a press conference in Pacific Palisades on Jan. 27, 2025. (Drew A. Kelley/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images)
She said she would not have even traveled south to San Diego had she been given the proper "preparation" about the fire danger.
"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 added.
"I think that’s one of the things we need to look at, everything that happened, including that, needs to be examined," she continued, revealing 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 Jan. 3 and the mayor left for Africa the next day. She did not return until Jan. 8, according to Fox 11 LA.
SEN. SCHIFF URGES TRUMP ADMIN TO EXCLUDE FIREFIGHTERS FROM FEDERAL HIRING FREEZE
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass listens as Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks while touring fire damage. (Mayor Karen Bass/X)
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Over 170,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for her to step down as mayor. The situation also resulted in public criticism of the mayor, ranging from former Democratic mayoral opponent Rick Caruso to liberal talk show host Bill Maher.
"LA's mayor, Karen Bass, the Nero of American politics, was fiddling in Ghana while the city burned," Maher said last month.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., suggested that Disney CEO Bob Iger run for mayor in 2026. When pressed on whether she took Khanna's comments personally, Bass shrugged it off.
"I am focused on one thing and one thing only, and that is to make sure that our city is able to recover and rebuild, and that all of those individuals that lived in the Palisades can go home," Bass told NBC Los Angeles.
Cameron Arcand is a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C. Story tips can be sent to Cameron.Arcand@Fox.com and on Twitter: @cameron_arcand
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/la-mayor-bass-points-fingers-when-grilled-africa-trip-botched-wildfire-response