The billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times criticized Democratic Mayor Karen Bass for her “poor planning” and “poor judgment” in cutting the budget for firefighters, who have been stymied as they try to contain the blazes that have been ravaging them. entire neighborhoods.
“The mayor wanted $23 million, she got $17.8 million as I understand it. But it’s kind of, really, I think a bad call, especially water and fire is exactly, you know, I see the end result of that destruction,” Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong told Fox News Channel on Thursday .
Firefighters working to battle the blaze, which has killed at least 10 people, encountered empty hydrants and insufficient water pressure — limitations being attributed to budget cuts that have hampered the city’s emergency response capabilities.
Soon-Shiong said his newspaper’s coverage has focused on “the whole issue of leadership.”
He said that “part of our reason for being is to hold those in power accountable.”
Bass, who is up for mayor in 2022, is stepping down after approving a $17.6 million cut to the Los Angeles Fire Department’s budget.
Those funds were redirected to address rampant homelessness in the city, but subsequent investigations revealed that nearly half of the reallocated funds went unspent.
Bass was also criticized for traveling to Ghana to attend the president’s inauguration even though weather officials had warned of extremely strong winds that posed an increased risk.
The absence of the mayor during the early stages of the crisis is believed to have delayed critical decision-making on the ground.
Bass on Thursday was evasive when pressed by reporters on the city’s preparedness for the devastating fires that broke out while she was in Africa.
When a CBS News reporter asked the mayor why it took “several hours” for fire engines to respond while bystanders directed traffic, Bass deflected, saying, “We have to protect lives, we have to save lives, and we have to let’s save the house.”
Soon-Shiong, the South African-born doctor who made his fortune in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, blocked his newspaper’s editorial board from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris before the election.
This action caused some of the newspaper’s journalists to leave the newsroom in protest.
Since then he has sought to diversify the pages of his paper by adding more conservative voices.
Soon-Shiong recently announced that Scott Jennings, former George W. Bush aide and CNN commentator, has been added to the editorial board.
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