There’s a movement underway to recall Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass over her handling of the Palisades Fire.
Some of Bass’s foes have filed paper work with the Los Angeles Ethics Commission, which allows opponents to raise money so they can put a recall on the ballot, the Los Angeles Times reports.
According to the website, recallbassnow.com, organizers accuse Bass of underfunding and overworking first responders.
“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,” the website reads. “At a time when rapid response is more crucial than ever, officials are underfunding the very department responsible for protecting lives and property.”The Pacific Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7. Fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, the fierce fires sent thousands of residents fleeing
from burning homes and killed 29 people, according to ABC News.In what is considered the most destructive fire in Los Angeles history, close to 28,000 acres in Los Angeles County were destroyed. Nearly half of the properties in the Black neighborhood Altadena were destroyed.
Some residents criticized Bass, who when the fire started was in Ghana for a diplomatic mission. Bass later fired L.A. Fire Chief Kristen Crowley, adding
that she not told about the severity of the fire weather conditions before traveling to West Africa. Crowley has denied this and is appealing her resignation, claiming the department did not have enough funding or staffing to battle the wildfires.Bass’ opponents need about 330,000 signatures within the next four months to officially trigger a recall election, KTLA reports.
Bass has some support, including actresses Yvette Nicole Brown and Kym Whitley. The pair believed Bass is being targeted because of her race and spoke to BLACK ENTERPRISE in February.
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