LA mayor under fire: Bass faces backlash for broken travel vow
The Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, had promised before taking office that she would not travel abroad. However, Bass was out of the country when devastating fires broke out, specifically in Ghana. Now, the politician faces a wave of opposition as she has lost the trust of many voters.
Before Karen Bass became the first female mayor of Los Angeles, she spoke candidly about what she considered a potential drawback of the job, primarily citing the inability to travel internationally.
As "The New York Times" reminds us, Bass spent decades traveling and working on U.S.-Africa relations as a member of Congress and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. However, after taking office, she was expected to change her habits.
In one interview, Bass assured that if elected mayor, she would live in Los Angeles and not travel abroad. "The only places I would go would be Washington, Sacramento, San Francisco, and New York," stated Bass. Today, the media and voters are reminding her of those words. "The New York Times" refers to this as a "spectacularly broken promise".
When a series of deadly and devastating fires broke out in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, the city’s mayor was in the process of returning home from Ghana in West Africa. She had traveled there on January 4th to attend the inauguration of Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama.
Bass returned to L.A. on Wednesday, a day after the fires started. Upon her return, she refused to answer a Sky News reporter's question about whether she owed the residents of Los Angeles an apology for her absence.
During a press conference, Bass explained that she was "in constant contact" with those managing the firefighting efforts and that she chose "the fastest route back" by returning to the country on a military aircraft. She also explained that as soon as she returned, she went to Pacific Palisades.
The LA mayor has repeatedly broken her promise
As "NY Post" notes, the mayor has repeatedly broken her pre-election promise. Before going to Ghana, she had traveled to Mexico for the inauguration of President Claudia Sheinbaum, and she also visited France three times.
Political opponents and voters criticize Bass not only for her trip to Ghana but also for budget cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
According to American media, in 2023, Bass, as the mayor of Los Angeles, earned over $304,000. Her term ends in 2026, but conservatives are demanding that the embattled mayor resign from her position now.
