- In correspondence obtained by The Times, L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath expressed frustration about L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ lack of communication on fire recovery issues.
- Bass has made “locking arms” with other government officials one of her trademark phrases.
- Rebuilding from the Palisades fire will require extensive cooperation, not just with the county and state but with the Trump administration.
Los Angeles was still deep in crisis on Jan. 21 when county Supervisor Lindsey Horvath made her frustration known to Mayor Karen Bass.
Click Here to Subscribe to the California Political Review
The Palisades fire was only partially contained. Forecasters had issued a rare alert amid vicious winds, warning that new fires could spark. And the first rain of the season was expected soon, meaning mud and debris could careen down scorched hillsides.
Bass was still struggling to regain her political footing after stumbling badly in the days after the fire broke out. City and county officials had been holding daily news conferences together — until that morning and the previous morning, when Bass spoke to reporters without her county counterparts.
Behind closed doors, those appearances, and other issues involving cooperation and communication, had become a topic of contention between two of the most powerful women in Los Angeles, as a lengthy text message that Horvath sent Bass at 9:11 that morning reveals.
“You asked us to lay off the daily pressers. We did. We asked you to join us for this announcement tomorrow. No response. Now we hear you’re doing one without us today when we are in lead role at your Depts’ request?” wrote Horvath, whose district includes Pacific Palisades.
“Doesn’t feel very ‘locked arms’ to me,” she added, invoking a catchphrase Bass often uses to emphasize the importance of cooperation among government officials. The slogan is central to Bass’ political brand, with the mayor citing it at most public appearances.
Bass responded five hours later, saying she wasn’t sure what announcement Horvath was referring to and suggesting they sit down and talk that afternoon.
The supervisor’s text message and other correspondence obtained by The Times through public records requests highlight an increasingly fractious relationship between Bass, 71, and Horvath, 42. The strain comes as the two politicians navigate what could be the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
As one of five L.A. County supervisors, Horvath holds a relatively low-profile position that comes with enormous power. When she won her 2022 election over a longtime legislator, the millennial former mayor of West Hollywood went from representing one of the region’s smallest cities to having more than 2 million constituents.
Her district — which stretches from coastal Malibu and Santa Monica east to West Hollywood and north through much of the San Fernando Valley — includes the entire Palisades fire burn scar. She is also working with the other supervisors to oversee rebuilding from the Eaton fire, which demolished swaths of unincorporated Altadena and other areas in Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s district.
Bass, by contrast, is the most visible politician in the region, responsible for the city of Los Angeles’ roughly 3.9 million residents.
During her first two years as mayor, Bass, who previously served in Congress and as speaker of the state Assembly, has made strong relationships across various levels of government a key part of her identity. When she faced harsh criticism during January’s catastrophic firestorm for not being a more commanding leader, her allies touted her ability to “lock arms” as a potential saving grace in the city’s long road to recovery.
But the Jan. 21 encounter between Bass and Horvath was hardly a one-off, raising questions about whether the mayor’s trademark skill, which she has leaned on to make progress on homelessness, may be failing her when she needs it most.
Rebuilding from the Palisades fire will require extensive cooperation, not just with the county and state, but also with the Trump administration, which has promised to cut off federal funding to “sanctuary cities” such as L.A. that limit collaboration with immigration authorities.
When asked about the text message and their relationship, Bass praised Horvath and said the two were united in their mission.
“Supervisor Horvath has been a tremendous partner. … She and I continue to work together to make sure the Palisades can rebuild as quickly and safely as possible,” Bass said in a statement Monday. “There’s going to be miscommunication along the way, and at the end of the day, the Supervisor and I are united in getting the people we serve back home and back on their feet.”
Horvath’s response was less effusive.
Speak Your Mind