FIRST ON FOX: An effort to recall Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass officially launched its website on Tuesday.
The Democratic mayor faces significant backlash due to her response to the wildfires that burned through the Pacific Palisades in January, including the fact that she was in Ghana at the start despite dangerous fire condition warnings ahead of time.
If the recall petition meets the threshold of needed signatures — 15% of Los Angeles registered voters — then a special election would be triggered. The group launching the effort includes people directly impacted by the wildfire and other residents frustrated with crime and homelessness issues plaguing the city, according to a source familiar with the campaign. The source added that there is a bipartisan makeup of the people involved in the effort.
The Los Angeles Times reported on Monday that the groundwork was being laid to fundraise for Bass’ potential ouster.
LA MAYOR BASS’ CLASHES WITH REPORTERS ON WILDFIRES REMOVED FROM LEADER’S SOCIAL MEDIA, LIVESTREAMS
From right, Mayor Karen Bass and Chief Recovery Officer Steve Soboroff discuss recovery efforts during a press conference in Pacific Palisades on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (Drew A. Kelley/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images)
“The LAFD’s budget was slashed by more than $17 million, stripping critical resources from firefighters as Los Angeles faces escalating wildfire threats and emergency response challenges. At a time when rapid response is more crucial than ever, officials are underfunding the very department responsible for protecting lives and property,” the website, RecallBassNow.com, states, along with other reasons for supporting her removal.
Bass recently fired LAFD chief Kirstin Crowley, who is appealing her termination, and replaced her with Ronnie Villanueva. Crowley previously warned about the potential risks of not having enough funding and staff for the department.
“Acting in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I have removed Kristin Crowley as Fire Chief. We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch,” Bass said in a statement last month.
“Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the President of the Fire Commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after action report on the fires. The Chief refused. These require her removal. The heroism of our firefighters – during the Palisades fire and every single day – is without question. Bringing new leadership to the fire department is what our city needs,” she added.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass chats with California Governor Gavin Newsom while surveying damage during the Palisades Fire on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Pacific Palisades. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
In a recent interview with Fox 11 Los Angeles, Bass said that she was not aware of the potential severity of the fires that burned down thousands of homes and businesses, saying she “felt absolutely terrible not being here.”
“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 told the outlet.
“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.
WOMAN ACCUSED OF LOOTING FROM HOME IN PALISADES FIRE AREA WHILE WEARING ‘PALISADES STRONG’ SHIRT
Aftermath of fire in Pacific Palisades and along Pacific Coast Highway. (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)
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.
A Change.org petition has over 176,000 signatures asking her to resign as mayor. Still, there has been no indication that Bass would step down voluntarily.
“This recall is nothing more than another extreme right-wing political stunt designed to divide Los Angeles when we need to move forward,” Doug Herman, a strategist for Bass, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
