A petition demanding the resignation of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass over the response to devastating wildfires in the city has amassed more than 27,000 signatures.
The fires have burned more than 30,000 acres since Tuesday, killing at least 10 people. An estimated 10,000 homes, buildings and other structures have been destroyed and 180,000 people ordered to evacuate.
The mayor's office has been contacted for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Bass, a Democrat, has come under sharp criticism for her response to the devastating wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area. She was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana, West Africa, when the fires broke out, leaving the country on Saturday despite the National Weather Service warning of "extreme fire weather conditions." She returned on Wednesday as the fires intensified. Bass defended her response during the first news conference since her return, saying she had been involved in the response to the fires from afar.
She has also faced criticism for a decrease in funding for the Los Angeles Fire Department this year.
What To Know
The Change petition was started by a person who identified themself only as "Frustrated Californian" on Wednesday. It has since garnered more than 27,000 signatures.
"We, the undersigned residents of Los Angeles and concerned citizens, urgently call for the immediate recall of Mayor Karen Bass due to her gross mismanagement and failure to effectively respond to the devastating 2025 fires in and around the city of Los Angeles," the petition states.
The city "has been left in crisis," it adds. "Families have been displaced, homes destroyed, and livelihoods shattered—yet Mayor Bass has been absent from the front lines, choosing to travel abroad while her constituents suffer."
The petition says the signatories are demanding the resignation of Bass "due to her failure to lead during this unprecedented crisis," along with a thorough and transparent investigation into the "failures in disaster preparedness, response, and resource allocation that left our city vulnerable."
It also calls for "a comprehensive plan for ensuring the safety of all Angelenos in the face of future disasters."
Bass, a former congresswoman, was sworn in as mayor of Los Angeles in December 2022. She is the first woman to serve as the city's mayor.
What People Are Saying
Bass told reporters on Wednesday that she had remained in contact with fire commanders and officials while abroad and had taken the "fastest route back" from Ghana.
"Although I wasn't physically here, I was in touch with many of the individuals standing here throughout the entire time," she said.
On Thursday, during a tense exchange with a reporter who asked about the "lack of preparation" before the wildfires hit the city, Bass said: "My number one focus and I think the focus of all of us here—with one voice—is that we have to protect lives, we have to save lives and we have to save homes … rest assured, when that is done, when we are safe, when lives have been saved and homes have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, what didn't work and to correct or to hold accountable anybody, department, individual etcetera but my focus right now is on the lives and on the homes."
Rick Caruso, Bass' opponent in the 2022 mayoral race, told the Los Angeles Times: "We have a mayor who seems to be more concerned about being at some party, wherever the hell that is. We have terrible leadership resulting in billions of dollars in damage because she wasn't here and didn't know what she was doing."
Sara Foster was among the celebrities who have criticized Bass. "We pay the highest taxes in California," she wrote on X. "Our fire hydrants were empty. Our vegetation was overgrown, brush not cleared. Our reservoirs were emptied by our governor because tribal leaders wanted to save fish. Our fire department budget was cut by our mayor. But thank god drug addicts are getting their drug kits. @MayorOfLA @GavinNewsom RESIGN. Your far left policies have ruined our state. And also our party."
What's Next
Firefighters are continuing to battle the wildfires.
Bass said on X on Thursday night that Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters "continue to make progress combating fires across the city. Thank you for your urgency to keep Angelenos safe."
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