Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is under fire amid a growing list of corruption allegations that include bribes, hush money, inflated salaries, and questionable city leadership—especially when it comes to emergency response during California’s devastating wildfires.
At the heart of the controversy is a high-paying city job—worth $750,000 annually—reportedly given to a close personal friend. Meanwhile, several members of the LA City Council are facing investigations tied to embezzlement, bribery, perjury, and racketeering. Bass has also been connected to scholarship-related scandals that have raised serious ethical concerns.
Consumer Watchdog president Jamie Court didn’t hold back in her criticism. “Corruption is built into the system in Los Angeles,” she said. “It’s a deep-rooted problem, like something out of Chinatown, and it may have made the wildfires worse. The lack of accountability is staggering.”
Susan Shelley, from the editorial board of the Southern California News Group, echoed that sentiment, calling LA’s political climate a “pay-to-play culture” and describing it as “legalized corruption.”
Even former LA District Attorney George Gascón weighed in, warning that the behavior in question “undermines the integrity of our government and erodes public trust.”
As the fires spread across California, many critics accused Mayor Bass of neglecting public safety. One major point of backlash was her push to slash another $49 million from emergency response funding—on top of a $17 million cut made just days before. According to one conservative commentator, those cuts could have led to the closure of 16 fire stations, just as wildfires raged.
The outrage spilled over onto social media. Critics questioned the mayor’s budget decisions, with one user asking, “If Newsom cut $100 million from the fire department and she’s cutting another $50 million, where is all this money going?”
Some tied the controversy to concerns about DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) hiring policies. One woman shared her frustration, saying, “Hiring should be based on skill, not race or gender. The mayor and fire chief both make huge salaries but clearly weren’t prepared for this crisis.”
Others criticized what they saw as misplaced priorities. “We keep hearing that ‘diversity is our strength,’ but where’s the proof? What we need is competence—especially when lives are on the line,” one commenter wrote.
One post even suggested federal authorities should investigate, questioning if there are potential foreign conflicts behind the mayor’s decisions. “It’s hard to believe someone who swore to serve this country would make choices that hurt her own people,” the commenter added.
With frustration mounting and investigations underway, the pressure is building on Mayor Bass to address both the corruption allegations and the city’s readiness to handle disasters.