Karen Bass
Appearances
Bongino Report Early Edition with Evita
Trump Cancels Zelensky’s 'Gravy Train' (Ep.144)
When I talked about it with the fire chief, what she said is that we have warnings of Santa Ana winds a lot. But predicting this, and you saw from the city, from the county, that level of preparation really didn't happen. So it didn't reach that level to me to say something terrible could happen and maybe you shouldn't have gone on the trip. But to me, I don't know.
Bongino Report Early Edition with Evita
Trump Cancels Zelensky’s 'Gravy Train' (Ep.144)
I mean, I think that that's one of the things we need to look at.
Global News Podcast
Negotiators close to securing Gaza ceasefire deal - White House
As we continue to go through these next few days where the fires are still a serious threat, we also want to begin to help people put their lives back together. and to prepare to rebuild our city. As the winds pick up, please stay safe. Please heed the call to evacuate should you receive that. And remember to heed all public safety guidance.
Global News Podcast
Myanmar remembers earthquake dead with a minute's silence
President Lai has instructed the National Security and Defense Units to make preparations and deal with the situation. In the face of external threats, our government will continue to defend the democratic and free constitutional system.
Global News Podcast
New Orleans attack: death toll rises to 15
The beautiful thing about the Olympics and the World Cup and the other events that are happening, those are opportunities for our nation to shine. and to shine in the middle of the entire world. And I have no doubt that incoming president will understand the significance. And so I am hopeful because this is not just a request for Los Angeles.
Global News Podcast
New Orleans attack: death toll rises to 15
This is a request for our nation as we assume the spotlight in the world in 2028.
Global News Podcast
Arrests made after many fatalities in North Macedonia nightclub fire
I had a 2021 Tesla, and about two years ago, I put on a bumper sticker that said, bought this car before we knew.
Global News Podcast
Arrests made after many fatalities in North Macedonia nightclub fire
People on the freeway would drive by and honk and give me a thumbs up. I loved it until a couple of weeks ago. And I said, no, I can't do this anymore. How could I drive that car? I believe I have principles. So it felt like a stigma. It was a horrible stigma, but it was also showing the world that I was supporting something that I wasn't, that I wasn't behind.
Global News Podcast
Arrests made after many fatalities in North Macedonia nightclub fire
Was it easy to sell and did you get a good deal? We actually did it at the Cadillac dealer. We traded it in. We did not get as much as we could have, but I didn't want to drive that car another day.
Morning Wire
Trump Hosts Starmer & Hollywood’s Woke Reversal | 2.28.25
When I talked about it with the fire chief, what she said is that we have warnings of Santa Ana winds a lot, but predicting this, that level of preparation really didn't happen. So it didn't reach that level to me to say something terrible could happen and maybe you shouldn't have gone on the trip. But to me, I don't know.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-21-2025 8PM EST
We all know that a thousand firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke were instead sent home on Chief Crowley's watch.
PBD Podcast
Newsom Wildfire Response, Zuckerberg & Rogan, Trump Frees 33 Hamas Hostages | PBD Podcast | Ep. 533
Angelenos, we're still going through it. And to any of you and all of you that have experienced a loss, the grief, the anger, the just utter shock. I've seen the devastation. It is unbelievable the amount of loss that people have experienced. But we have to get through this crisis and I know that we will.
PBD Podcast
Newsom Wildfire Response, Zuckerberg & Rogan, Trump Frees 33 Hamas Hostages | PBD Podcast | Ep. 533
I was at the Selma command post today and I saw the work of our first responders and how they've been able to defeat the fires in certain areas. We know we still have much more to go and we know the winds are gonna kick up again. But we gotta stick together, we gotta stand strong and then We have to rebuild our city. We're the nation's second largest city, one of the greatest cities in the world.
PBD Podcast
Newsom Wildfire Response, Zuckerberg & Rogan, Trump Frees 33 Hamas Hostages | PBD Podcast | Ep. 533
And we stay together, and we will rebuild an amazing city. So thank you, Angelinos. By the way, you can stop that.
PBD Podcast
Newsom Wildfire Response, Zuckerberg & Rogan, Trump Frees 33 Hamas Hostages | PBD Podcast | Ep. 533
I feel I'm supposed to take sweet victory. I know this life meant for me. Adam, what's your point?
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1540 - Girlbossing the Airline Industry… Straight Into the Ground
So let me just tell you a couple of things. First of all, when the White House called and asked me if I would represent the president, I said, yes, it was going to be a very, very short trip over a weekend and two business days. We need to look at everything about the preparation and all of that for the fires, because I think when we evaluate that,
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1540 - Girlbossing the Airline Industry… Straight Into the Ground
we will find that although there were warnings that I frankly wasn't aware of, although there were warnings, I think our preparation wasn't what it typically is. Meaning that before there's a major weather event, for example, last week when we knew we were gonna get into the rains, You saw us come together and us talk about, you know, get your sandbags, bring the K-rails out.
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1540 - Girlbossing the Airline Industry… Straight Into the Ground
That type of preparation didn't happen. If that had, I will tell you, Alex, I wouldn't have even gone to San Diego, let alone leave the country.
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1540 - Girlbossing the Airline Industry… Straight Into the Ground
So when I talked about it with the fire chief, what she said is that we have warnings of Santa Ana winds a lot. But predicting this, and you saw... from the city, from the county, that level of preparation really didn't happen. So it didn't reach that level to me to say something terrible could happen and maybe you shouldn't have gone on the trip. Why didn't it happen? But to me, I don't know.
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1540 - Girlbossing the Airline Industry… Straight Into the Ground
I mean, I think that That's one of the things we need to look at. So two investigations are taking place. One internal to the city, and that's the fire commission, because that's mandated by the city charter. So the commission will hire an outside entity to examine everything. The pre-deployment, you know, why were staffs, why were firefighters sent home?
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1540 - Girlbossing the Airline Industry… Straight Into the Ground
You know, all of that that should have taken place that didn't. And then also the governor has contracted with the Fire Safety Research Institute, which is a national institute that investigated what happened in the fires in Maui. So everything that happened, including that, needs to be examined.
The Matt Walsh Show
Ep. 1540 - Girlbossing the Airline Industry… Straight Into the Ground
But I will tell you that I felt absolutely terrible not being here for my city and not being here for my family.
The Megyn Kelly Show
LA Mayor Stumbles as She Returns to City, and Personal Stories of the Devastation, with James Woods and Adam Carolla | Ep. 979
I've been in constant contact with our fire commanders, with county, state, and federal officials. I took the fastest route back, which included being on a military plane, which facilitated our communications. So I was able to be on the phone the entire time of the flight. We are fighting for you and everyone in Los Angeles. Okay, I took the fastest route home.
The Megyn Kelly Show
LA Mayor Stumbles as She Returns to City, and Personal Stories of the Devastation, with James Woods and Adam Carolla | Ep. 979
Build stronger than ever. Right now, if you need help, emergency information, resources, and shelter is available. All of this can be found at URL.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Shocking NSA Chat Logs, Bezos Causes New WashPost Staff Revolt, and White House vs. Press, with Buck Sexton | Ep. 1015
The president is in charge of the military. That is how it works.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Shocking NSA Chat Logs, Bezos Causes New WashPost Staff Revolt, and White House vs. Press, with Buck Sexton | Ep. 1015
I make no apologies for standing on the side of Palestinian liberation. I apologize. This is actually an example of the backlash of how violent the social media discourse is, how violent it is, the responses to anyone who speaks about Israel-Palestine, and frankly, I'll say particularly black.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
But we are going to move as fast as we can, but we want you to be safe. We want you to be back in your homes immediately.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
I did exercise them. I find that if individuals want to clear out their property, they can.
The Megyn Kelly Show
Media's ICE Hoax, Vance's Masterclass on CBS, and Trump vs. Bass, with Steve Bannon and Batya Ungar-Sargon | Ep. 992
Yes, but you know that you will be able to go back soon. We think within a week.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
like those famous press conferences we've seen in the Oval Office, where they one by one go around the table and talk about their praise for him. It makes me feel like a meeting that would take place in North Korea.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
I really think that the White House is in control of the government. And that's not a question this time around. I think you see in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, when the president weighs in on something, they deliver exactly what he wants. And so I think when you look at our government now, it's a little different than it was before. It was more chaotic.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
in a different kind of way. It was clearly people who were in the White House who didn't have the experience. But I think that the people that are around the president now have the experience, studied and prepared for this over the years, and they have an agenda, and they are driving that agenda.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
Well, and I'm really glad you brought that up because I think that one impact of Doge that people don't seem to be clued in with right now, when you see massive layoffs in federal agencies, well, those federal workers don't all work in Washington, DC. They work in Los Angeles too. We have over 50,000 federal workers in Washington, DC. And so, I mean, I'm sorry, in Los Angeles.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
And so we're already our economy is already hit, which is why we have a big deficit in the city. But that is going to be an impact that we are not feeling today. But mark my words, we will be feeling it in coming weeks. One thing that's happening with the layoffs is that one day you're laid off. Two days later, the court says you're not. And it's been kind of back and forth.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
And that's about what I was describing before, that sense of instability. I don't know the earth is moving. Do I have a job? Don't I have a job? Does my agency even exist? And then to hear Secretary Kennedy, Secretary of Health and Human Services, say that he's going to, I think he said he was going to reduce the workforce by 10,000 people.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
So those layoffs will absolutely hit us in our local economy right here.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
Right. That is very, very, very frightening. I saw the professor that was snatched off the street. I believe she was a professor back east just a couple of days ago. That then creates a climate of fear. But that fear, I mean, that is targeting people who protested on college campuses.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
But the general sense of fear of what people remember from the first Trump administration is alive and well in Los Angeles. You know, I remember in the first Trump administration where kids wouldn't go to school because they were afraid of their parents not coming home. We haven't reached that point yet, but there is an absolute sense of fear. But let me just tell you how it's going to hit us.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
We have not had massive ICE raids or anything like that in the city. ICE has been here. It's been very targeted in the sense that they were going after federal fugitives or people who had outstanding federal warrants for violent crimes. So it's been very targeted. But that chill that it sends through the community is palpable. But let me tell you how it's going to impact us if that should happen.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
We need to get the Palisades rebuilt. you're talking about a large percentage of construction workers who are immigrants. Now, I'm not saying they're all undocumented, but what is happening now is that even people who have documents, green cards, et cetera, they're going to be fearful of being picked up by ICE. So we're trying to focus on and I'm trying to focus on rebuilding the palisades
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
at lightning speed. And so far, it's been going with lightning speed. I want that to continue. But if the workforce is too afraid to go to work, you're going to have a negative impact in the Palisades, in Altadena, in Malibu, and in all of the areas that are affected. We're going to have a difficult time rebuilding our region.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
Well, I have to tell you, our phase one and phase two really has gone. And that is what has been lightning speed. And I got to tell you, it's been lightning speed because of the administration. I think that the Trump administration wants to break the record for rebuilding as fast as possible. And so we have been flooded with staff from FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
And so that is going along fine. We're getting ready to enter into the next phase where the individual homeowners will start rebuilding. And we've been issuing permits and expediting all of that. It absolutely impacts our budget. Let me just tell you, the economic hit to our economy
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
from the destruction of the palisades and you know the palisades is the only area that is in the city of los angeles altadena malibu those are outside of my jurisdiction it is a 38 million dollar hit to our budget that one neighborhood and that is from a loss of property tax and business tax so it absolutely has an economic impact and then we have to front the money
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
for the rebuilding and then get the money back from FEMA. So that presents certain insecurity. But our budget problems are not solely because of the fire. They are impacted by the fires. But the main reason why we're struggling in our budget is because of the general economic downturn and cities across our state are experiencing this as well.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
The other things that cities are experiencing across the country is an increase in liability lawsuits. So for example, a big city like Los Angeles, we're self-insured and we put aside $100 million every year for lawsuits, trip and falls, those types of things. Well, because of COVID and the backlog in the court system, we had triple the amount of lawsuits.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
So instead of a hundred million, we had $300 million that we needed to pay out for lawsuits. And then we gave our workforce raises so we could retain them because you know how expensive it is to live in Los Angeles. So those three issues impacted our budget and we have a huge deficit.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
I do have to say, though, that I have empathy for my Republican colleagues because I don't believe that they have a choice. They have to defend the president and they dare not step out of line because if they do, they will suffer the consequences. A few of my Republican colleagues earlier did try to say that they didn't believe that the president's conduct was appropriate.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
So obviously dealing with the state's worst disaster in its history has compounded the problems we were already facing.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
Well, you know, we have got to turn that around. So let me just tell you what we're doing because we're preparing in a little over a year to welcome the world here. We're going to have the World Cup. Eight games will be played here, but the World Cup will last for 40 days.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
So one of the things that we're trying to do is to really recreate that spirit we had around the Dodgers when we won the World Series. So at the end of April, we're going to kick off a number of citywide events that help to prepare our city for the world. And we are talking about when the games come, this is going to be an economic uplift to the region.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
And so getting everybody involved in preparing the city. This was something we had planned to start in January, but obviously we couldn't. And so we're launching it in April. I have to give my State of the City speech Around April 20th, I have to present the budget to the city, and then we're going to launch this citywide activity to really try to lift people's spirit.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
And I think the best way when people are feeling down and lost in the sense that they can't control what's happening in Washington, D.C., you can't control what's happening in the national economy, to get them involved in some real positive activity, something physical in a way they can contribute and feel that collective spirit. So that's what our response is.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
Thanks for having me on. And I appreciate that clip.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Mayor Bass on the Trump Administration and Los Angeles
And they got slapped quickly. The president said his conduct, he said the call was absolutely perfect. And so now you don't hear any of them saying or questioning whether his behavior was appropriate. You have to fall in line. And not only do you have to fall in line, you have to praise him constantly.
Up First from NPR
LA Fires Latest, Trump's Sentencing, TikTok At The Supreme Court
You asked me, was I frustrated by this? Of course, because we all know that this has been an unprecedented event. We also know that fire hydrants are not constructed to deal with this type of massive devastation.