Mayor responsible for fire department budget cuts, says LA Times owner: "Competence matters"

Dr. Pat Soon-Shiong emphasized the importance of competence in the ongoing Pacific Palisades fires, particularly in relation to LA mayor Karen Bass.

On Wednesday, as wildfires burned across Los Angeles County, Soon-Shiong instructed his X followers to his paper for real-time updates on the crisis while simultaneously criticizing Bass's management of the city prior to the emergency.

The Mayor cut the LA Fire Department's budget by $23M, despite the ongoing fires in the city. Reports of empty fire hydrants have raised serious concerns about the department's competence. Follow @latimes for live coverage in partnership with @Spectrum. The live camera view coverage will provide our readers with a real-time view of the fires. Stay safe.

Planet Chronicle Digital reached out to the LA Times for further comment.

Despite Bass' original budget proposal seeking to cut $23 million, the actual LAFD's budget was cut by approximately $17 million.

Criticism has been heavy against Bass after it was reported that she was out of the country in Africa when the fires started on Tuesday. She is currently returning to California.

Rick Caruso, a former Los Angeles mayoral candidate, accused Bass of mismanagement, stating that it was the cause of the wildfires getting out of control.

Caruso stated that the city's mismanagement is to blame for the lack of water in the Palisades and the fire hydrants, not the fault of the firefighters.

"Our city is on fire with no resources to put it out, and our mayor is out of the country," Caruso stated, adding, "It seems like we're in a third-world country."

Thousands of evacuations have been prompted by California Gov. Gavin Newsom's declaration of a state of emergency due to ongoing fires that have not yet been contained.