When wildfires began engulfing parts of Los Angeles and surrounding areas, many people, including celebrities and politicians, were quick to criticize Mayor Karen Bass online, criticizing her lack of leadership and rushing the city. He criticized the slow response when returning to Japan. From Ghana. The criticism comes even though the cause of the fire, which has since killed at least 25 people, destroyed thousands of homes and scorched some 40,000 acres, is still unknown.
In response, many black women defended Bass, saying she faces a double standard that they feel many black women leaders face in this country.
Among those pleading for patience and fair treatment is Los Angeles civil rights attorney Areva Martin. In a post on X, she denounced what she described as “pervasive disinformation” about Bass. Martin said in a phone interview Tuesday that criticism of Bass was largely influenced by the domestic political climate.
“We believe the far right is using natural disasters and other tragedies as an opportunity to sow division and chaos and to call into question the leadership of Democratic elected officials, especially African-American elected officials. I’ve seen it used,” Martin said.
Critics were furious. After the wildfires broke out, President-elect Donald J. Trump claimed on his site Truth Social that officials responsible for fighting wildfires were “incompetent” and had “no idea how to put them out.” did. Rick Caruso, a real estate developer who lost to Bass in the 2022 mayoral race, called her leadership and her absence during the wildfires a “failure of epic proportions.”
Despite warnings of the extreme fire danger in the area, Mr Bass had previously said he would not travel overseas as mayor, but when the fire broke out on January 7, he He was on an official visit to Ghana to attend the president's inauguration. She returned to Los Angeles on January 8th.
But mixed in with the questions about her decision to travel were misleading claims about cuts to the city's fire department budget that Bass approved last year. Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times, wrote in a post on X about his decision that “competence is important.” However, when the city's budget was approved last year, the city and fire union were negotiating a new contract, and the fire department's budget did not yet include expected raises, so this year's fire budget actually This is an increase of $53 million from last year.
Joining the chorus of critical voices were Los Angeles-based celebrities, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, James Woods, Khloe Kardashian and Sarah Foster, all of whom criticized Bass' He criticized the response and leadership.
It's common for elected leaders to come under fire during times of crisis, and Gov. Gavin Newsom has been a frequent target in recent news cycles. But after the initial criticism of Bass, a wave of voices, many of them black women, began to defend the mayor, saying that black women were criticized more harshly than other groups.
Ravi Ajay Jones, a Chicago-based author, speaker, and digital strategist, has widely shared posts supporting Basu on social media, racking up more than 10,000 likes on Instagram alone. obtained. She said in a phone interview that this is the latest in a long line of incidents in which black women are made scapegoats.
“The way people are trying to find a reason to attack her is despicable. Again, it's become so commonplace that I think it's very convenient for them.” Jones said.
Actress and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg said on “The View” Monday that she is “very angry” with those who have already criticized city and state officials. Ta. And actresses Yvette Nicole Brown and Kim Whitley, in an interview with TMZ this week, voiced their support for Bass, the first woman and second Black person to be elected mayor of Los Angeles, exposing her to further criticism. He cited race and misogyny as reasons for this. than her peers.
Brown, who has lived in California for about 30 years, said in a phone interview Tuesday that he has never seen the mayor of a single city “fall under the bus” after a natural disaster.
“So I decided,” she said, “after what happened to Kamala Harris in that election, where misinformation was allowed to go unchecked and thrive for too long, I decided to take this issue to the next level.” I’m going to stand up and fight for the mayor,” before Bass freezes into another big lie. ”
Jones said she believes it's common for Black women leaders to inherit problems that existed before they assumed their roles, and then be blamed for them when problems arise. She cited the treatment of Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race, as well as the discourse surrounding former Harvard University president Claudine Gay, who resigned following criticism of her testimony to Congress about anti-Semitism and plagiarism allegations.
“It's disgusting to see that happen over and over again,” Jones said.
Martin said she sympathized with Jones and supported Bass' election because of her previous service in the House and State Legislature and as a community organizer.
“The idea that she is incompetent or that she is a DEI employer is offensive,” she said.
