L.A. Mayor Bass Has Ties to Communist Cuba, Praised Fidel Castro [WATCH]

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is under fire for her handling of the devastating wildfires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles, leaving 27 people dead and countless others displaced.

Critics have accused the 71-year-old leader of prioritizing social justice agendas over emergency preparedness and effective governance.

The fallout from these alleged missteps has thrown her political career into jeopardy, with many questioning her ability to lead the city through its ongoing crises.

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Former President Donald Trump publicly criticized Bass during an appearance a roundtable in Los Angeles, pointing to her response to the fires as inadequate.

JUST IN: President Trump and LA mayor Karen Bass spar on live TV, Trump tells her to stop taking so long.

The spat we’ve all been waiting for.

Trump: “I’m exercising my emergency powers. You have to exercise them also. You can do everything within 24 hours.”

Bass: “And if… pic.twitter.com/PCdcjS431S

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 25, 2025

Bass, a six-term congresswoman and former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, assumed office as Los Angeles’s first female mayor in December 2022.

However, her tenure has been marked by controversy.

Before her time as mayor, Bass faced backlash for her praise of Fidel Castro and ties to the Venceremos Brigade, a pro-Cuba organization.

She also stirred criticism during her mayoral campaign when a video resurfaced showing her speaking positively at a Church of Scientology event.

The most recent controversy surrounding Bass stems from her response to the wildfires, including her absence from the city when the Palisades fire erupted on January 7.

While Los Angeles burned, Bass was attending the inauguration of Ghana’s president as part of a U.S. delegation.

She returned to the city the following day but has faced sharp criticism for what many see as a lack of urgency.

LA Mayor Karen Bass refuses to answer and freezes when a reporter asks her if she regrets cutting the Fire Department’s budget by nearly $20 million and being in Africa during a devastating wildfire pic.twitter.com/BlLUri98zR

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 8, 2025

Property developer Rick Caruso, who narrowly lost to Bass in the 2022 mayoral race, blasted her absence and the city’s delayed response to the fires.

“We have a mayor who seems to be more concerned about being at some party, wherever that is,” Caruso told the Los Angeles Times.

Adding to the outrage, Bass decreased funding for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) by $17 million in the city’s most recent budget, a decision critics argue hampered the city’s ability to respond to disasters.

The cuts followed the United Firefighters of Los Angeles endorsing Caruso in the 2022 election.

Former Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley criticized Bass’s leadership, saying, “The perception of her from residents at this point is such that she can no longer effectively lead the city of Los Angeles. She’s lost the public’s trust and, importantly, their respect.”

Cooley also highlighted Bass’s decision to hire Janisse Quiñones as LA’s water czar, who earns a $750,000 annual salary but has been blamed for mismanagement contributing to the wildfire crisis.

Bass defended her actions, stating she remained in contact with local officials during her time abroad.

“Although I wasn’t physically here, I was in touch with many of the individuals standing here throughout the entire time,” she said upon her return.

Bass’s handling of the fires has drawn mixed reactions from residents.

While some neighbors in her former Baldwin Hills community praised her as a strong advocate for their concerns, others expressed frustration over her absence and leadership decisions.

“The problem is optics,” said Kevin Walker, a former neighbor.

“She’s at the top of the food chain, so the buck stops with her.”

In Hancock Park, where Bass now resides, neighbor Adil Farooqui compared the fires to Hurricane Katrina, saying, “Mistakes did happen. It’s a tragedy of a lifetime. This was our Katrina.”

With Bass’s political career hanging in the balance, critics are calling for independent investigations into the city’s handling of the wildfires.

The challenges facing Los Angeles have amplified calls for more transparent and accountable leadership, leaving Bass to navigate mounting pressure from residents, political opponents, and the media.

As the city begins to recover from the fires, questions remain about Bass’s ability to address the underlying issues that have plagued her administration.

For many Angelenos, the wildfires represent not just a natural disaster but a failure of leadership at the highest levels.

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