THE BOTTOM LINE – Mayor Karen Bass came into office promising compassion, reform, and stability. What we got instead is a fiscal disaster wrapped in excuses, a City Hall that spends recklessly, and a mayor who still insists everything is “under control.” It’s not.
The city’s budget has spun into chaos — hundreds of millions in shortfall, ballooning payrolls, and programs bleeding cash with no real oversight. And while Bass’s administration blames “economic pressures,” the truth is simpler: this is the result of careless leadership and political cowardice.
Bass chose to grow City Hall when the city could barely afford to stand on its own legs. She expanded staff, created new deputy positions, and pushed high-cost initiatives without a sustainable revenue plan. Now, she’s quietly preparing for layoffs, hiring freezes, and cuts to basic services — the same services she vowed to strengthen. The “era of accountability” she promised has turned into an era of fiscal fog…