Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing backlash after being labeled the "most incompetent politician in America" for botching up a fire emergency website address. At a press conference Wednesday, just after returning from Ghana, Bass advised locals to visit "URL" for more information, even while acknowledging that the ongoing fire was "the big one."
Her blunder came on the heels of massive backlash for her absence during the devastating wildfires and for cutting the fire department's budget before the crisis. "If you need help, emergency information, resources, and shelter is available. All of this can be found at URL," the flailing mayor said as she read from a script.
Bass Under Fire for Goof Up
"Food, water, medicine, a bag packed and ready again, this is an active situation, and conserve water to the extent that you can. We want to make sure that we are ready if we need more water," she said, vaguely.
"This firestorm is the big one," she added at one point.
The response to the first-term mayor's mistake was instant, with many on social media condemning her as a disgrace. "FIRE THIS DUMBASS NOW," one furious user wrote on X, saying Bass was "going all Joe Biden, not knowing what she's saying!"
"Mayor Karen Bass literally just read the words 'URL' off her script during the press conference instead of the emergency website for the victims of the fire. I think we have a new winner for the most incompetent politician in America," another user wrote.
Her blunder came as viral footage showed Bass returning to the US on Wednesday to find her city in crisis, refusing to answer questions with a stone-faced demeanor.
"Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning, and do you regret cutting the Fire Department budget by millions of dollars madame mayor?" Sky News reporter David Blevins asked as Bass was getting off her flight.
"Have you absolutely nothing to say to the citizens today?" he added.
Mayor Disappoints City
The mayor's absence has sparked widespread mockery, with many criticizing her for being 7,400 miles away in Africa attending Ghana's presidential inauguration while wildfires began ravaging Los Angeles earlier this week.
Bass has faced blame for the continuing disaster after it was revealed she cut $17.6 million from the Los Angeles Fire Department's budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year.
For fiscal year 2023-2024, LA allocated $837 million to the fire department, which accounted for only 65 percent of the $1.3 billion earmarked for addressing homelessness, according to Fox News.
Bass' budget cuts have drawn renewed scrutiny as the Los Angeles Fire Department made an unusual request for off-duty firefighters to assist in combating three major wildfires raging across the city. Fueled by powerful 100 mph Santa Ana winds on Tuesday, the fires have continued to expand rapidly.
So far, at least 70,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate their homes, with the blaze already being labeled the most destructive wildfire in the city's history in just 24 hours.
The spotlight returned to Bass' budget cuts as the Los Angeles Fire Department made an urgent call for off-duty firefighters to help in fighting three massive wildfires engulfing the city. These fires, driven by 100 mph Santa Ana winds on Tuesday, have continued to grow at an alarming pace.
In just 24 hours, the fires have become the most devastating in the city's history, forcing the evacuation of at least 70,000 residents from their homes.
