Embattled LA Mayor Who Was Jetting Back From Africa When Wildfires Began Once Said She Would Not Go Abroad

Democratic Mayor Karen Bass once said during her 2021 mayoral campaign that she would not travel overseas while in office.

Bass traveled to Ghana to attend the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama as flames and high winds devastated Los Angeles. The now-mayor assured The New York Times during an Oct. 17, 2021, interview that if she were elected, she would only travel to major cities across the U.S. rather than other countries.

“[N]ot only would I of course live here, but I also would not travel internationally — the only places I would go would be D.C., Sacramento, San Francisco and New York, in relation to L.A.,” Bass told the Times.

Aside from Ghana, Bass’ public schedule shows that she has traveled outside of the U.S. at least four times in the past year at taxpayers’ expense, including one trip to Mexico, where she attended the inauguration of President Claudia Sheinbaum and three times to Paris, France, for the 2024 Olympic Games, according to the Times.

Californians have become outraged by Bass’ travel during the fires, which have so far resulted in at least 24 deaths and an estimated 12,000 homes, businesses and schools being destroyed. Neighborhoods and communities have been left devastated by the wildfires, leaving 150,000 people displaced.

EATON FIRE: This is the current state for some homeowners right now who aren’t even that far up the mountain in #Altadena @DailyCaller #Pasadena | #California pic.twitter.com/4Il84D14JD

— Hailey Grace Gomez (@haileyggomez) January 8, 2025

Bass’ office told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the mayor is “laser focused” on “protecting property” and residents in Los Angeles and has “secured” resources for an “all-of-the-above plan for recovery.”

“In light of the Olympics coming, that the city owns and operates the nation’s largest international trade hub, and that a third of Angelenos were born abroad, this was, of course, a miscommunication — mayors of Los Angeles routinely travel internationally,” Seidl said.

The mayor appeared to stare blankly at a wall and remain silent as Sky News reporter David Blevins asked her whether she owes her constituents an apology for being absent as the wildfires began. She reportedly made the African trip at the behest of President Joe Biden’s administration to represent the U.S. in Ghana, and had been in “constant contact” with local and federal county officials about the fires, the Times reported.

Bass approved of a budget for the city in June that included a $17.6 million cut of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s (LAFD) budget after she had initially pushed for a $23 million cut, though the city set aside unappropriated funds which ultimately led the fire department to receive $53 million more than last year all in. LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley warned Bass in December that the $7 million cut to the fire department has “severely limited” the organization’s ability to train and properly prepare for “large-scale emergencies.”