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By Joel B. Pollak
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D), who was on a trip to Ghana when fire engulfed large portions of the city, cut nearly $20 million from the city’s budget for fire services for the current fiscal year — and proposed even higher cuts.
This fire is not from “climate change,” you ignorant asshole. It’s because liberal idiots like you elect liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass. One doesn’t understand the first thing about fire management and the other can’t fill the water reservoirs. #INSTABLOCK https://t.co/u49lWSmKri
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) January 8, 2025
As the Westside Current reported in April 2024, Bass proposed about $23 million in cuts to the fire department:
Significantly, the proposal — described by Bass a “reset” — includes $65 million in cuts to her signature Inside Safe homelessness] program; an increase of more than $138 million for the Los Angeles Police Department; and a decrease of about $23 million for the L.A. Fire Department.
…
However, the proposal would increase funding for the fire department to support the Emergency Appointment Paramedic Program, with city officials noting the LAFD responds to more calls for service related to medical emergencies than other categories.
In addition, another $2.5 million would bring new equipment and technology updates for the LAFD, prompted by the aftermath fire beneath the Santa Monica (10) Freeway that forced a temporary close of the road.
The final budget that was approved by the L.A. City Council included $17.5 million in cuts to the fire department. $13 million of that came from cuts to operating supplies, while there were also large cuts to salaries.
Rick Caruso, billionaire real estate developer, called into LA local news:
“This is like a third world country… there is no water coming out of the fire hydrants. LA Mayor Karen Bass is on a foreign trip to Ghana.”pic.twitter.com/iOjXPkWcko
— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) January 8, 2025
In the 2023-4 fiscal year, the fire department actually underspent its budget by about $18 million ($819 million versus $837 million). That seems to have given the city cover to reduce the department’s 2024-5 budget to nearly the exact same level.
This is INSANE
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is on a taxpayer-funded trip to Africa as part of a Biden administration presidential delegation WHILE HER CITY IS BURNING TO THE GROUNDhttps://t.co/yochqjL7AT pic.twitter.com/szvoLDYhPs
— Ashley Hayek (@ashleyhayek) January 8, 2025
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
