Karen Bass will be held accountable for fire failure — one way or another

Another day, another refusal by Karen Bass to cooperate with a congressional investigation.

On Monday, Bass refused to testify before the House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) about waste, fraud, and abuse within the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA).

And on Tuesday, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who is investigating the Palisades Fire with Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, blasted Bass for failing to hand over relevant documents about the fire.

Bass claimed that she had a scheduling conflict with the DOGE committee’s hearing.

But that excuse won’t fly with Scott and Johnson, who just want public documents.

In October, the two Republican senators requested “records and all information related to the city’s wildfire preparedness and response to the January 2025 Pacific Palisades fire.”

They wanted to investigate the evident incompetence of the city, county and state governments, and their contributions to the most expensive natural disaster in American history.

That incompetence is relevant, especially as Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom have been asking the federal government for more funding, for rebuilding and for fire suppression.

American taxpayers deserve to know that we are not throwing good money after bad — that California, and LA, have fixed their problems.

But Bass is refusing to play along.

She may have no choice in the matter. Johnson is the chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI).

What that means is that he has the power subpoena documents and testimony.

So the best that Bass can do is delay, perhaps even force a court battle over the documents. But she will have to comply in the end.

She may hope Republicans lose control of the Senate in November, and that the Democrats who take over will be willing to shield her.

Or she simply may hope to drag out the fight long enough to survive her own re-election bid.

After all, her rival, Nithya Raman, arguably shares responsibility for problems like homelessness. But there is no one left to blame for the city’s poor response to the Palisades Fire except the mayor herself.

Bass sent the fire chief packing. Yet the fire department could only do so much with a thin budget.

Ultimately, Bass will be held accountable. If not by the voters, then by Congress. And if not by Congress, then by the courts. And if not by the courts, then by history.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters