There’s an old saying , by Robert Schuller that says “tough times never last, but tough people do” and if this old adage is proven to be true, isn’t it a little premature to predict the political demise of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass?
Maybe it’s just me and call me a skeptic but these attacks against the mayor about her handling of the devastating fires in Los Angeles (NOT Altadena) that have resulted in a number of tragic deaths and loss of property is sorely misguided and dishonest and is largely rooted in personal ambitions and vendettas that go far beyond assigning appropriate blame and run counterproductive to providing real solutions and relief to many of those whom have lost virtually everything.
In hindsight and in personal reflection, I’m pretty much sure that Mayor Bass given what she knows now, and has learned through the course of these tragic events, if given the opportunity she would have done things differently, but to put the failures solely on the back of Bass is dishonest and self serving and hurts only those seeking to rebuild their lives.
With that being said in the midst of great controversy it should be noted that despite the loud and seemingly opportunistic criticism of the likes of Dr. Patrick Soon -Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times and Real Estate Developer Rick Caruso, her former opponent in the 2022 mayoral election, Mayor Bass has responded admirably, while expressing and showing empathy and laser like focus to begin the healing and rebuilding process.
Isn’t this what we should expect from our leaders?
In the face of adversity and mounting criticism, the mayor has dug in and not allowed the naysayers or opportunists to distract her. With a keen understanding that her obligation to provide a pathway forward to rebuild and provide the necessary resources to those affected by these fires to reclaim their lives far supersedes the temptation to answer her critics that clearly have ulterior motives.
Should we expect any less from Karen Bass?
Well that depends on whom you ask.
But may I remind those who doubt the mayor’s ability to face the challenges ahead of her that she is a seasoned politician, that served in the California State Legislature and Congress and was on the short list to serve as former President Joe Biden’s Vice president and now as Mayor of Los Angeles, it would be foolish to assume that Bass’ political career is over.
In fact for those who doubt Mayor Bass’ ability to bounce back, I remind them that her ability to bring different factions together for the common good is her strength and quite possibly her saving grace and with more than a year and a half to state her case for re-election, Los Angeles will be better off on its recovery and rebuilding efforts than it is today, giving her a strong case to continue the work she was elected to do.
Since these devastating fires, it should be noted that the mayor has been successful in organizing the public and private sector, most notably bringing in the expertise of Steve Soboroff, a long time resident of Los Angeles and a successful businessman to serve in the capacity of Chief Recovery officer to organize the rebuilding and recovery efforts. She has also enlisted the advice and expertise of former Mitch Landrieu who served as the 61st Mayor in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill and played a major role not only in recovery but its resurgence. Landrieu also served as the senior adviser and infrastructure implementation coordinator in the Biden Administration after the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law particularly working on the reopening of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia after a deadly bridge collapse.
With that being said, neither I nor Mayor Bass should be naïve with the challenges ahead but with the right disposition and laser like focus she is more than equipped and qualified to lead Los Angeles’ recovery and my word of advice to those looking to seize on the perceived ‘missteps’ of the mayor would be for her to continue defying her naysayers and for everyone’s sake, put politics aside while cheering for her success because if SHE wins so does Los Angeles.