Karen Bass

Mayor of Los Angeles - Facing intensifying scrutiny over after-action report modifications and budget decisions; political position increasingly precarious

On January 7, 2025, two wildfires exploded across Los Angeles County with unprecedented speed. The Palisades Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains and the Eaton Fire in Altadena spread at the rate of three football fields per minute, driven by Santa Ana winds gusting to 100 mph. Within hours, 200,000 people fled their homes. The fires killed at least 31 people directly, with researchers estimating 440 total deaths including those from heart and lung conditions aggravated by smoke and stress. By the time containment came 24 days later, 16,000 structures were destroyed and $150 billion in losses tallied—making it the costliest disaster in U.S. history.

Updated Feb 5

Mayor of Los Angeles - First term, in office since 2022

California closed the loophole on its failed 2014 plastic bag ban and raised its minimum wage to $16.90 on January 1, 2026—the latest moves in a decades-long experiment testing whether aggressive regulation can coexist with economic growth. Many retailers began phasing out plastic bags weeks before the deadline, as Los Angeles-area supermarkets made plastics non grata at checkout in late 2025. The original bag ban backfired spectacularly, increasing plastic waste in landfills by 47% as stores sold thicker 'reusable' bags that nobody reused. Now the state is trying again, banning all plastic bags at checkout.

Updated Jan 30

Mayor of Los Angeles - Managing city emergency operations and coordinating evacuations in burn scar areas

A Christmas Day atmospheric river dumped up to 12 inches of rain on Southern California's mountains, triggering mudslides that buried roads in Wrightwood and forced helicopter rescues from rooftops. More than 120 emergency responders worked overnight Christmas Eve rescuing residents trapped in vehicles and homes. Governor Gavin Newsom declared emergencies in six counties covering 28 million people. At least three to four died. By December 26, the worst of the storm had passed, though flood risks persisted through Friday evening. The twist: these floods hit burn scars from massive wildfires earlier in the year, where charred soil repels water like pavement and half an inch of rain can unleash catastrophic debris flows.

Updated Dec 26, 2025