Aides to Karen Bass Received Weather Warnings Before She Flew to Ghana

On the day before Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass left for Ghana, her aides received an email from the city’s Emergency Management Department warning of a “high confidence in damaging winds and elevated fire conditions occurring next week.”

The Mayor’s Office Was Aware of the Weather Outlook

The mayor nevertheless went on the trip, attending the Ghanaian president’s inauguration, as well as a U.S. Embassy cocktail party, on January 7, the day the Palisades fire broke out.

Bass’ team did not inform her of the Friday, January 3, email, which advised of a meeting the following Monday to coordinate preparations for the anticipated high winds. In the days before Bass’ flight, the National Weather Service had also begun alerting the public on social media about the growing wildfire risk.

Bass’ Criticism of Fire Chief Kristin Crowley

Bass, over the last few weeks, has accused former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley of failing to warn her of the potential for a cataclysmic wind event. She told Fox 11 she would not even have traveled as far as San Diego had she been informed of the fire danger.

“It didn’t reach that level to me, that something terrible could happen, and maybe you shouldn’t have gone on the trip,” she said.

Bass fired Crowley on February 21, criticizing the chief’s handling of the Palisades fire, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed 12 people. Crowley has appealed her dismissal, with a City Council vote on the appeal scheduled for Tuesday.

Correspondence Reveals Weather Warnings Were Sent to Aides

Correspondence obtained by The Times through a public records request showed that the Emergency Management Department was advising mayoral staffers of the weather outlook, in the January 3 email and messages over the following days, as the forecasts grew increasingly dire.

More than a dozen Bass aides received the January 3 email, which included multiple attachments from the National Weather Service. An EMD official also wrote that a “tentative calendar invite” to the Monday meeting would follow.

Emails and Meetings Were Sent and Held

Deputy Mayor Zach Seidl, who received the email and oversees communications for Bass, downplayed its importance, saying it did not suggest imminent catastrophe. At that point, he said, the email was referring to a meeting that was tentative.

EMD spokesperson Joseph Riser told The Times that “tentative” referred to the exact date and time of the Monday meeting, not whether it would take place.

The January 3 email was sent at 2:30 p.m. by Jillian de Vela, a duty officer with the EMD, to an internal group called “EMD Adverse Weather,” which includes more than 100 officials, including firefighters, police officers, and Department of Water and Power and L.A. Unified School District employees, according to a list provided by EMD officials.

On January 3, one day before Mayor Karen Bass flew to Ghana, the city’s Emergency Management Department sent out a series of graphics from the National Weather Service, including one warning of “critical fire conditions” on January 7.

(National Weather Service)

Conclusion

The article reveals that the city’s Emergency Management Department sent out weather warnings to aides before Bass’ trip to Ghana, which included information about the potential for damaging winds and elevated fire conditions. Despite this, Bass went on the trip, and her aides did not inform her of the weather warnings. The controversy has led to criticism of Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, who Bass fired in February.

FAQs

* When did the city’s Emergency Management Department send out weather warnings to aides?
The department sent out the warnings on January 3, one day before Bass’ trip to Ghana.
* What was the content of the January 3 email?
The email warned of a “high confidence in damaging winds and elevated fire conditions occurring next week.”
* Did Bass’ aides inform her of the weather warnings?
No, they did not inform her of the warnings.
* What was the outcome of the Palisades fire?
The fire destroyed thousands of homes and killed 12 people.
* Has Fire Chief Kristin Crowley appealed her dismissal?
Yes, she has appealed her dismissal, with a City Council vote on the appeal scheduled for Tuesday.