During a portion of an interview with NBC Los Angeles on Thursday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stated that “There is no question” that her Africa trip at the outset of the firestorm in the state was a mistake.
NBC Los Angeles Political reporter Conan Nolan said, “[O]ne of the aspects of any kind of disaster is the faith and confidence the public has in its leadership. You came under a lot of criticism for being in Africa when the windstorm started — the firestorm. In retrospect, that trip was a mistake.”
Bass responded, “Yeah, absolutely. There is no question about that.”
Nolan then asked, “Is your mission now to try to regain confidence that that may have eroded?”
Bass answered, “Absolutely it is. And I think that I have to demonstrate that every day by showing what we’re doing, what is working, what are the challenges, and to bring Los Angeles forward.”
Nolan also asked about criticism she has faced from her former mayoral election opponent, Rick Caruso, and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) floating Disney CEO Bob Iger as a replacement and if she takes it personally.
Bass responded that she doesn’t and said, “I am focused on one thing and one thing only, and that is to make sure that our city is able to recover and rebuild, and that all of those individuals that lived in the Palisades can go home.”
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