Even to a casual observer, the optics are not great.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is being criticized for attending a cocktail party in Ghana as fire erupts in the city she is sworn to protect.
The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that Bass was part of a delegation to attend the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
When she left Los Angeles on Jan. 4, the National Weather Service issued continuous warnings about a coming windstorm. She returned on Jan. 8 — more than 24 hours after the fires erupted.
“The presidential delegation was hosted by the United States ambassador to Ghana on the way to the plane,” said Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl said. “For the majority of the time, the mayor was in a different room on calls from LA.”
A spokesperson for the US ambassador to Ghana said Mahama hosted the reception for the American delegation before they were to return to the United States via a military plane.
However, Bass has been criticized for her absence early on in the fires. This includes her former mayoral opponent Rick Caruso and others.
Tommy Vietor, host of Pod Save America, wrote, “Inexplicable decision to not come back earlier.”
Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel said on Puck, “If it is true that she left the country on a Saturday after the warning came out, that is a dereliction of duty.”
According to Fox News, a petition calling for Bass’ resignation had more than 142,000 signatures as of mid-morning on Wednesday.
“Water supplies have been severely strained, billions of taxpayer dollars have been misallocated or left unaccounted for, and countless lives have been lost,” per the petition.
Celebrities have gotten involved, too.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Patricia Heaton and Jillian Michaels are a few who have called for accountability from Bass, Gov. Gavin Newsom, as well as the California state leadership.
As of Wednesday morning, at least 24 people have been confirmed dead. That number is expected to increase in the days ahead, according to officials. Dozens are missing.
