California firefighters battled wind-whipped wildfires that tore across the Los Angeles area, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled and straining resources as the fires burned uncontained early Wednesday.
But as the city’s officials, first responders, and residents grapple with the deadly fire, Los Angeles’ Democrat mayor is conveinently not in the city, leaving residents raging mad
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass — a Democrat — was in Africa on a delegation mission as the areas around the city burst into flames on Tuesday into Wednesday.
According to the New York Post, Bass was part of the four-person delegation for the inauguration of Ghanan President John Dramani Mahama.
In her absense, Bass’ office posted the following statement to X.
Our @LAFD and @LAPDHQ teams continue to work overnight to protect Angelenos affected by fires in L.A.
Angelenos should be advised that the windstorm is expected to worsen through the morning and to heed local warnings, stay vigilant and stay safe.
Red flag parking restrictions…
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) January 8, 2025
However, her absense from the city in strife has left residents and voters angry.
“RESIGN! WHY ARE YOU IN GHANA?!,” one person commented on Bass’ office’s post.
“Hey Karen! How’s Ghana?” another person asked. “LA you ask? Yeah it’s burning to the f–king ground but it’s better you’re not here anyways because you’re useless.”
Others demanded Bass, who took office in 2022, to resign from her post.
“you’re a disgrace & embarrassment to our country,” one comment read.
“You need to resign you incompetent fool,” said another.
A former congresswoman, Bass chaired the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations from 2019-22.
However, the fires in and around Los Angeles continue to spread at a rapid pace, it’s left vulnerable residents displaced from their homes.
According to reports, the flames from a fire that broke out Tuesday evening near a nature preserve in the inland foothills northeast of L.A. spread so rapidly that staff at a senior living center had to push dozens of residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a parking lot.
The residents waited there in their bedclothes as embers fell around them until ambulances, buses and even construction vans arrived to take them to safety.
Another blaze that started hours earlier tore through the city’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a hillside area along the coast known for celebrity residences and memorialized by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA.”
In the frantic haste to get to safety, roadways became impassable when scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some toting suitcases.
Local news even captured the blaze from the sky, showcasing just how dire the situation is in LA.
Even Hollywood actor Steve Guttenberg who lives nearby, was forced to jump into action to help others.
Guttenberg told KTLA 5 that he’s urging people who have left their cars on Palisades Drive to leave their keys behind so they can move the cars to make room for incoming fire trucks.
“What’s happening is people take their keys with them as if they’re in a parking lot. This is not a parking lot. We really need people to move their cars,” the “Police Academy” actor explained.
“If you leave your car behind, leave the key in there so a guy like me can move your car so that these fire trucks can get up there.”
This is an on-going story. Check back for further updates.