LA Mayor Bass Flees Press Conference, Dodges Questions on Fire Report and Election

Mayor Bass promised to take political questions but left the podium without addressing reporters' concerns about the Palisades Fire report and her reelection challenger.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass held a press conference to announce an executive directive, but when reporters tried to ask her about the controversial rewrite of the Palisades Fire report and her reelection challenger Nithya Raman, Bass fled the podium and refused to answer their questions, breaking her promise to take political questions after the event.

Why it matters

Mayor Bass is facing growing scrutiny over her handling of the Palisades Fire and its aftermath, as well as a surprise challenge from former ally Nithya Raman in the mayoral race. Her refusal to address these issues head-on raises concerns about transparency and accountability in city leadership.

The details

During the press conference, a reporter asked Bass to respond to challenger Nithya Raman's comments calling for more police. Bass said she would take political questions separately, but then left the podium without returning to answer reporters' follow-up questions about Raman and the Palisades Fire report. The original fire report was significantly edited before being released to the public, with Mayor Bass claiming she only reviewed an early draft and did not make any changes.

  • On February 10, 2026, Mayor Karen Bass held a press conference.
  • After the press conference, Bass promised to take political questions but then fled the podium without addressing reporters' concerns.

The players

Karen Bass

The current mayor of Los Angeles who is facing scrutiny over her handling of the Palisades Fire and a reelection challenge from Nithya Raman.

Nithya Raman

A former ally of Mayor Bass who has launched a surprise bid to challenge her in the mayoral race.

Amanda Crumley

The Deputy Mayor for Communications who shut down a reporter's question about Raman.

Kolby Lee

A strategic communications advisor for Mayor Bass who told reporters she was not coming back out to answer questions.

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What they’re saying

“The purpose of this Q & A is about the executive directive, if people do want to ask me political questions we can just do that afterwards. I don't want to hold everyone up here.”

— Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles

“We'll take that separately.”

— Amanda Crumley, Deputy Mayor for Communications

“She's not coming out right now.”

— Kolby Lee, Strategic Communications Advisor for Mayor Bass

“So, she lied to us?”

— Unnamed Reporter

What’s next

The mayor's office has not indicated when or if Mayor Bass will address the outstanding questions from reporters about the Palisades Fire report and her reelection challenger Nithya Raman.

The takeaway

Mayor Bass's refusal to answer questions about the controversial Palisades Fire report and her reelection challenge raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability in city leadership. Her actions have further eroded public trust and suggest she may be more focused on avoiding tough questions than addressing the pressing issues facing Los Angeles.