‘Gross Mismanagement’: Petition Calling For LA Mayor’s Recall Sees Over 60,000 Signatures Amid Devastating Fires

Tens of thousands of Los Angeles residents petitioned Democratic Mayor Karen Bass to quit her post, alleging that she failed to respond properly to the fires raging across the city and oversaw financial irresponsibility.

“We, the undersigned residents of Los Angeles and concerned citizens, urgently call for the immediate recall of Mayor Karen Bass due to her gross mismanagement and failure to effectively respond to the devastating 2025 fires in and around the city of Los Angeles,” began the petition which a “Frustrated Californian” started Thursday.

Over 61,000 people have signed it as of the time of this report.

The petitioners allege that Bass had “been absent from the frontlines, choosing to travel abroad while her constituents suffer” and that fiscal accountability was poor and water supplies to fight the fires were inadequate to mitigate the damage the city had suffered.

Bass had traveled Saturday — as the firestorm loomed — to attend the Tuesday inauguration of Ghana’s newly reelected President John Mahama, the Los Angeles Times reported. Upon her return, she was mute as Sky News reporter David Blevins peppered her with questions about the timing of the travel and budget cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) in a now-viral moment.

‘Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent whilst their homes were burning? Do you regret cutting the fire department’s budget?
@skydavidblevins questions the mayor of LA, Karen Bass, as she faces backlash regarding the California wildfires.https://t.co/Nkz8onjC7V pic.twitter.com/WwRwp6Imqz

— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 8, 2025

“Despite the tireless efforts of our first responders, the city has been woefully unprepared to ensure the safety and well-being of its residents,” the petitioners wrote. (RELATED: ‘Excuses Go Up In Flames’: California Dems Paved The Way For Los Angeles To Be Consumed By ‘The Big One’)

They demanded Bass’s immediate recall; a “full, transparent investigation into the failures in disaster preparedness, response, and resource allocation that left our city vulnerable;” an audit of allegedly mismanaged disaster relief taxpayer dollars, and a “comprehensive” safety plan in the event of future disasters.

“Mayor Bass’s actions — or lack thereof — have shown she is unfit for the office she holds,” the petitioners wrote, adding, “It is time for a change.”

Los Angeles began to burn late Tuesday in fires fueled by near-hurricane-force Santa Ana winds that kept firefighting aircraft grounded. Some fire hydrants reportedly ran low on water. The LAFD had to recall off-duty officers to swell its ranks in its struggle against the fires. The LAFD had never had to make such a move in 19 years, according to CBS News.

LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley told various outlets that a $17 million budget cut limited its ability to manage the disaster and that the city failed the LAFD. Bass summoned Crowley Friday afternoon after the comments, NBC4 Los Angeles reported. Crowley’s and Bass’s absence from press briefings about the fires fueled rumors that Bass had fired Crowley — rumors the mayor’s office dispelled, ABC 7 Los Angeles reported.

Seven people have died and 38,628 acres consumed as four fires — Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth, and Hurst fires — rage across Los Angeles County, according to current updates from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The Kenneth fire, which started Thursday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, was 80% contained while the Hurst fire was 76% contained, as of the time of this report.

The Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Pasadena neighborhoods burn on, with the fires hardly contained, according to the updates. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone told CNN Friday that the still-raging fires were of the greatest concern and that “we’ve had nothing but support” from the federal and state governments.”

Some high-profile figures, including actress Jamie Lee Curtis, actors James Woods, Miles Teller, and Mel Gibson, comedian Rosie O’Donnell and socialite Paris Hilton, all lost their homes to the flames, various outlets reported. Some landmark buildings were also destroyed.

“One day you’re swimming in the pool and the next day it’s all gone,” a weeping Woods told Entertainment Today.

Vice President Kamala Harris’s Brentwood, Los Angeles home had to be evacuated as the Palisades fire approached, the Washington Post reported. She and President Joe Biden reportedly canceled their separate and final foreign trips.

California Governor Gavin Newsom deployed the state’s National Guard Thursday to combat a rash of looting and said survivors could start applying for federal aid Friday.