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Many celebrities and politicians have criticized Karen Bass for her city’s response to the wildfires, but her defenders say she is being held to a double standard.
Jan. 16, 2025Updated 10:50 a.m. ET
As wildfires began to engulf parts of Los Angeles and its surrounding communities, many people online, including celebrities and politicians, were quick to criticize the city’s mayor, Karen Bass, accusing her of poor leadership and slow response times as she rushed back to the city from Ghana. That criticism came though it was still unclear what ignited the fires that have since left at least 25 people dead, destroyed thousands of homes and charred nearly 40,000 acres.
In response, numerous Black women have come to her defense, saying that Ms. Bass is facing a double standard that they feel many Black female leaders confront in this country.
Among those pushing for patience and fair treatment is Areva Martin, a Los Angeles civil rights lawyer. In a post on X, she called out what she described as “pervasive disinformation” about Ms. Bass. In a phone interview on Tuesday, Ms. Martin said the political climate in the country had played a huge role in the criticism of Ms. Bass.
“We have seen the far right capitalizing on natural disasters and other tragedies and using them as an opportunity to sow division and chaos and to cause doubt about the leadership of Democratic-elected officials, particularly African American elected officials,” Ms. Martin said.
The critics have been fierce. After the fires broke out, President-elect Donald J. Trump said on his Truth Social site that the officials in charge of fighting the wildfires were “incompetent,” claiming that they have “no idea how to put them out.” Rick Caruso, a real estate developer who lost to Ms. Bass in the mayoral race in 2022, has referred to her leadership and absence at the start of the wildfires as “a massive failure of epic proportions.”
Despite warnings of extreme fire risk in the area, Ms. Bass, who had previously said she would not travel abroad as mayor, was on an official trip to Ghana to attend the inauguration of its new president when the blaze broke out on Jan. 7. She returned to Los Angeles on Jan. 8.
English (US)