Nearly 150,000 sign petition demanding LA mayor's resignation over fire response

Nearly 150,000 people have so far signed an online petition demanding the immediate resignation of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass over her "gross mismanagement" and a lack of leadership during the devastating wildfires in the region.

The Change.org petition with still-increasing signatures accuses Bass of mishandling the wildfires, noting that she was not even in the country when the fires first broke out.

"In the wake of these catastrophic fires, our city has been left in crisis. Water supplies have been severely strained, billions of taxpayer dollars have been misallocated or left unaccounted for, and countless lives have been lost. Families have been displaced, homes destroyed, and livelihoods shattered -- yet Mayor Bass has been absent from the frontlines, choosing to travel abroad while her constituents suffer," reads the petition, which was started last Thursday.

"Despite the tireless efforts of our first responders, the city has been woefully unprepared to ensure the safety and well-being of its residents. Basic resources, such as water and emergency services, have been inadequate, and leadership has been nowhere to be found when it was needed most," the petition adds.

According to media reports, Bass was on a diplomatic visit to Ghana when the devastating wildfires erupted. Prior to her trip, the local meteorological agency had issued multiple warnings about the extreme fire risk posed by strong winds following a prolonged dry spell.

In June 2024, Bass approved a budget cut of more than 17 million U.S. dollars to the local fire department. A report from the Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley in Dec 2024 stated that these cuts had significantly weakened the department's ability to effectively respond to wildfires and other emergencies.

Upon Bass's return to the U.S., a reporter confronted her, asking whether she owed an apology for her absence and if she regretted the decision to slash the fire department's budget. The mayor refused to respond.

As of Wednesday, fierce wildfires across the Los Angeles area had killed at least 25 people and destroyed more than 12,300 structures. Local authorities confirmed that at least 26 people were still missing in the ongoing wildfires. Twenty of the missing are believed to be in the Eaton Fire area and six in the Palisades Fire area.

Nearly 150,000 sign petition demanding LA mayor's resignation over fire response

Nearly 150,000 sign petition demanding LA mayor's resignation over fire response

Nearly 150,000 sign petition demanding LA mayor's resignation over fire response

Nearly 150,000 sign petition demanding LA mayor's resignation over fire response

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the situation in Iran is "under total control" following violence linked to protests that spiked over the weekend.

Addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran, the foreign minister noted that armed terrorist groups had infiltrated the protests, attempting to divert them from their legitimate course. He claimed that evidence has been gathered showing Iranian security forces being shot at, with the aim of causing further casualties. He accused the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.

Araghchi further stated that the government is closely monitoring developments on the streets, emphasizing that "the situation has come under control." He also affirmed that internet services, curtailed during the unrest, would be restored after coordination with security agencies.

The government has engaged in dialogue with merchants and protest representatives and initiated reforms to address grievances related to price hikes and currency depreciation. Iran has taken a series of actions and measures to respond to the demands of peaceful demonstrators, the foreign minister said.

Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said that clear evidence links recent riots and vandalism of public facilities in Iran to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. This came after former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Mossad agents operating on Iran's streets in a social media post. The Iranian foreign minister asserted that police are being attacked by "terrorists" acting under the direction of Israeli operatives, whom Pompeo publicly acknowledged.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and U.S. sanctions.

Iranian foreign minister says situation "fully under control," accuses Israeli intelligence of stoking unrest