Embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has revealed that her brother lost his Malibu home in the still-raging Palisades wildfires.
Bass, who has been widely ridiculed for her city’s lack of preparedness for the devastating fires, disclosed the news during a Zoom meeting of the Pacific Palisades Community Council on Thursday.
“The loss that you’re going through, I share indirectly. It’s hit my family too,” Bass told about 1,000 attendees, per the Los Angeles Times.
DISTRAUGHT LA MOM CONFRONTS NEWSOM OVER FLAILING WILDFIRE RESPONSE
“My brother, who has lived in Malibu for 40 years, been through many fires, evacuated many times — this time didn’t get away,” she said.
The Democrat said her brother’s house “was my family home where we went on the holidays” and that the loss of the home is “a type of shock and grief that is trauma that will be with us for a long time.”
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and has torched more than 23,000 acres, destroying more than 900 structures and killing 11 people. As of Friday morning, it is 72% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Meanwhile, the Eaton Fire has burned 14,000 acres and is 95% contained, while the Hughes Fire, which started on Wednesday, has scorched more than 10,000 acres and is 56% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Bass has faced sharp criticism for traveling abroad despite the fire warnings and for her response after returning. When the fire started, she was attending an embassy cocktail party in Ghana as part of a delegation sent by the Biden administration for the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
On Jan. 2, days before Bass left for Ghana, the National Weather Service warned of the potential for “extreme fire weather conditions” due to the Santa Ana winds.
Just days later, on Jan. 7, the Palisades were burning, and residents were ordered to evacuate. She appeared to be posing for photos just before 8 p.m. local time, which was 12 p.m. in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times.
It also came to light that the Los Angeles Fire Department chief warned Bass last month that a nearly $18 million budget cut had plunged it into “unprecedented operational challenges” that would hamper its ability to respond to large-scale emergencies like wildfires.
The budget measures were signed off by Bass, and she has denied the cuts have hindered the city’s response. Bass has said that there will be time for an evaluation of the response at a later date.
Celebrities, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Patricia Heaton and Jillian Michaels, have called for accountability from Bass, Gov. Gavin Newsom and California state leadership.
HBO host Bill Maher also slammed local officials and accused them of prioritizing DEI initiatives over competent fire response. President Donald Trump has also been critical of Bass and Newsom, accusing them of “gross incompetence.” Trump even suggested that Newsom resign as governor, and locals have also questioned why fire hydrants ran empty.
Trump claimed the lack of forest management and Newsom’s reported refusal to allow stormwater from the north to flow freely to Southern California contributed to one of the most destructive wildfires in the state’s history.
Trump is expected to visit the Golden State on Friday.
Fox News’ Rachel Wolf and Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
