LA Mayor Karen Bass Attacks Recall Effort Against Her as ‘Irresponsible’ – But ‘Almost a Rite of Passage’ in California

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) called recall efforts against her “almost a rite of passage” for California politicians.

Bass joined MSNBC’s The Weekend on Saturday and slammed a recall effort against her as “irresponsible” in the wake of the Palisades fires, which killed dozens and destroyed thousands of homes in January. Bass received backlash in the wake of the fires with critics accusing her of being unprepared. Bass was in Ghana when the fire broke out.

On Saturday, Jonathan Capehart noted that Nicole Shanahan, the former running mate of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is a major funder behind a current recall effort against Bass.

“Los Angeles has endured enough. Once a city of hope, it’s now overrun with crime, chaos, and suffering. Today, we begin the effort to revive the City of Angels—for the people. First step: recalling Karen Bass,” Shanahan wrote on X in March.

“Sadly, recalls have almost been a rite of passage for elected officials in California,” Bass told Capehart on Saturday.

She noted that California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) faced an unsuccessful recall election in 2021.

“I do have to say that what she is saying about Los Angeles is not true at all. We have reported on a big reduction in crime. The city is not in chaos. I know that the coverage of the fires in the beginning, a lot of people thought the entire city was on fire,” Bass said.

The mayor said the recall effort doesn’t “make sense” with her reelection coming up next year. Bass called the recall petition “irresponsible” as the city continues recovering from the fires.

“The other thing is is that I am laser focus on getting the people who lived in the palisades to return home and the idea that you would inject something like this into the state’s worse natural disaster in recent history, I think is frankly irresponsible,” she said.

Watch above via MSNBC.

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