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Embattled Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has revealed that her brother lost his Malibu home in the Palisades wildfires.
Bass, who has been widely ridiculed for his city’s lack of preparation for the devastating fires, revealed the news during a Pacific Palisades Community Council Zoom meeting on Thursday.
“The loss you’re going through, I share indirectly. It’s hit my family too,” Bass told about 1,000 attendees, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass revealed that her brother lost his Malibu home in the Palisades wildfires. (AP/Getty)
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“My brother, who has lived in Malibu for 40 years, has been through many fires, evacuated many times, this time he did not escape,” he said.
The Democrat He said his brother’s house “was my family home where we went on vacation” and that the loss of the house is “a kind of shock and pain that is a trauma that will be with us for a long time.”
The Palisades Fire broke out on January 7 and has burned 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 Wednesday, has burned more than 10,000 acres and is 56% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Bass has faced heavy criticism for traveling abroad despite fire warnings and for his 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 Santa Ana winds.
A helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on January 11, 2025 in Los Angeles. (Etienne Laurent)
Just a few days later, on January 7, the palisades were burning and residents were ordered to evacuate. He 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 Chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department Basco warned 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 low, and she has denied that the cuts hampered the city’s response. Bass has said there will be time for an assessment of the response at a later date.
Celebrities, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Patricia Heaton and Jillian Michaels, have called for responsibility for the bass, Governor Gavin Newsom and California state leadership.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have been criticized for their lack of preparation and response to the fires. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
HBO host Bill Maher also criticized local officials, accusing them of prioritizing DEI initiatives over competent fire response. President Donald Trump has also been critical of Bass and the Newsoms, accusing them of “gross incompetence.” Trump even suggested that Newsom resign as governor, and locals have also questioned why The fire hydrants ran empty.
Trump claimed that a lack of forest management and Newsom’s reported refusal to allow northern stormwater to flow freely into Southern California contributed to one of the most destructive wildfires in state history.
Trump is expected to visit the Golden State on Friday.
Fox News’ Rachel Wolf and Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
