LA Mayor Says Her Ghana Trip Ahead Of Deadly Fires Was ‘Absolutely’ A Mistake

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) told NBC Los Angeles that it was “absolutely” a mistake to travel to Ghana over a month ago, around the time the deadly fires in Los Angeles County broke out.

“There is no question about that,” Bass added in her interview Thursday with NBC4’s Conan Nolan.

The former congresswoman’s trip was preplanned. She landed in Ghana to attend the inauguration of the nation’s new president on January 5, the same day the weather service issued a red flag warning, according to CBS News’ timeline of events. Multiple fires, including the massive Palisades fire, broke out on January 7, and Bass returned to LA the following day.

“I am focused on one thing and one thing only. That is to make sure that our city is able to recover and rebuild and that all of those individuals who live in the Palisades can go home. That’s my focus. That’s my mission. That’s what I’m going to do every day,” she added.

The fires resulted in at least 29 deaths and the loss of more than 18,000 structures. Early estimates suggested that the region’s fires last month could be the costliest natural disaster in history.

Bass received substantial criticism — including from billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso, comedian Bill Maher and a Sky News reporter — for her absence and for cutting the fire department’s budget.

“Although I was not physically here, I was in contact with many of the individuals that are standing here throughout the entire time. I was on the phone, on the plane, almost every hour of the flight,” Bass said in response to the criticism at the time.

While Bass is the mayor of the city of Los Angeles, many of the fires, including the Palisades fire, occurred within the county but outside of the city.