Mayor Karen Bass refused to answer questions about the Los Angeles fires Wednesday as a reporter pressed her about being out of town while fires burned out of control in her city.
Bass did not acknowledge Sky News reporter David Blevins as he asked her a series of questions about her being in Ghana in the early hours of wildfires that have engulfed much of America's second-largest city.
“Do you owe citizens an apology for being absent while their homes were burning?" Blevins asked on an airport jetway.
Bass did not answer, so Blevins kept asking questions.
"Do you regret cutting the fire department budget by millions of dollars, Madam Mayor?” the reporter pressed.
Again, Bass stood silent and nearly motionless. Blevins was referring to a budget reduction Bass approved last year that cut nearly $18 million from the fire department by freezing hiring and cutting overtime meant for training, NBC Los Angeles reported.
“Have you nothing to say today? Have you absolutely nothing to say to the citizens today?” Blevins continued. "Elon Musk says that you're utterly incompetent — are you considering your position?"
Bass stared off into the distance without answering.
“Madam Mayor, have you absolutely nothing to say to the citizens today who are dealing with this disaster?" Blevins asked.
About 40 seconds into the questioning, Bass turned away from Blevins on the jetway.
"No apology for them? Do you think you should have been visiting Ghana when this was unfolding back home?" Blevins said.
She then angled her way behind an aide before she walked away.
Representatives for Bass and the mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bass had left Southern California on Saturday and attended the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday.
The Palisades Fire, which erupted Tuesday, had charred more than 17,000 acres as of Thursday morning.
Bass narrowly won election to City Hall two years ago, edging billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso and becoming the city's first female mayor.
"I don't think this was the time the mayor should be on a global trip," Caruso told CNBC on Wednesday. "The very basic needs of leadership is to be present."
Later Wednesday, Bass visited several areas torched by fire.
She also defended the $17.8 million reduction in the fire department's budget. In a Dec. 4 memo, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said the cuts have "severely limited the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires."
“I am confident that it did not,” Bass told reporters Wednesday evening when she was asked about Crowley’s memo, adding that spending for the fire department could actually increase this year.
She also addressed her trip abroad, dismissing concerns that she should have been in the city. “Although I was not physically here, I was in contact with many of the individuals that are standing here throughout the entire time,” Bass said at the news conference as she was flanked by other officials.
“I was on the phone on the plane almost every hour of the flight,” she said.
