LA Mayor Karen Bass caught editing out Q&A sessions with reporters critical of her wildfire management

Bass has been facing immense backlash since the start of the LA wildfires, namely due to the fact she was in Ghana when the fires first broke out and had to return to Los Angeles to manage the situation. During a January 9 press conference, she addressed reporters’ questions, but the version uploaded to her Facebook page cuts off just as a journalist asks, “What is it going to take to stop this fire?”

According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, this is not an isolated incident. A video from a January 8 wildfire briefing, as well as another from January 10, also excludes the Q&A portions. However, full versions of these briefings, including questions about water pressure issues, fire department budget cuts, and Bass’ absence during the initial outbreak, remain available on the county’s website.

The omissions have drawn criticism from Bass’ biggest critics. Rob Quan, an organizer with the watchdog group Unrig LA, argued that the removal of the Q&A portions of the news briefings leaves viewers with only “propaganda” from the city.

“They’re going out of their way to deprive people of the full picture,” Quan said, per the LA Times. He called the Q&A “the juiciest part” of any briefing, as it forces politicians to defend and explain their decisions.

Last Friday, Bass removed Fire Chief Kristin Crowley from her position. The mayor’s office then posted the full press conference, including the Q&A. However, on the one-month anniversary of the Palisades Fire, Bass held a press conference addressing the recovery efforts. While she answered questions about the salary and job duties of her recovery czar, Steve Soboroff, that portion was also missing from the videos on her official Facebook and YouTube pages. Angelenos seeking the full exchanges must rely on local news outlets, which do not always provide complete coverage.

Bass has continued to face calls from city residents to resign from her position due to the number of inadequacies involving the wildfires, which included her cutting the fire department funding in the city’s budget leading up to the outbreak of the fires.