*I wasn’t planning to write this piece. Then a fire broke out at a cold-storage facility operated by Lineage Logistics in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles, and, within minutes, the usual suspects were back on the internet demanding to know why Mayor Karen Bass wasn’t already standing in front of the building with a fire hose.
For some people, that was apparently all the evidence they needed.
Never mind that the warehouse is owned and operated by a private company, not the City of Los Angeles. Never mind that firefighters—not mayors—respond to fires. Never mind that no mayor in the history of Los Angeles has ever been expected to physically appear at every emergency the moment it occurs.
Politicians get criticized. That’s part of the job.
What caught my attention wasn’t the criticism itself. It was how quickly the conversation abandoned reality.
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Suddenly, the mayor was being blamed for a fire she didn’t start, at a facility the city doesn’t operate, because she wasn’t physically present at an emergency that nobody knew was going to happen.
And that’s when it hit me: some of Mayor Bass’ critics appear to believe the job description includes clairvoyance.
Apparently, the mayor is now expected to know in advance which warehouse will catch fire, which brush fire will spark, which water main will break, which earthquake will hit, and which emergency will occur before anyone else does.
Based on some of the commentary, it seems they would prefer she stand in front of every potentially flammable building in Los Angeles holding a fire hose just in case.
A warehouse fire in the Valley? Why wasn’t the mayor already there?
A brush fire in the hills? Why wasn’t the mayor already there?
A power outage? Why wasn’t the mayor already there?
At this rate, people are going to start blaming her for traffic on the 405.
The expectation appears to be that she must simultaneously represent Los Angeles on the national and international stage while never leaving the city limits.
She should attract investment to Los Angeles, build global partnerships, advocate for the city abroad, and attend national events when called upon.
But she should also apparently remain within a five-mile radius of City Hall, ready to personally respond to any emergency anywhere in a city of nearly four million people.
Do you know how many emergencies happen in Los Angeles every day?
Ask a 911 operator.
If the standard is that the mayor must personally appear at every one of them, Karen Bass would need a helicopter, a teleportation device, and the ability to be in six places at once.
It’s a standard so absurd that no mayor in Los Angeles history has ever been held to it.
The truth is that mayors lead emergency responses. They don’t replace firefighters. They don’t replace police officers. They don’t replace public works crews. They don’t replace emergency managers.
And despite what some people seem to think, they don’t possess a crystal ball.
The expectations have become so ridiculous that the only thing missing is a cape.
We’re no longer evaluating leadership. We’re assigning the mayor powers she doesn’t have and responsibilities she doesn’t own.
Some of y’all know how city government actually works.
Please help the others.
The Mayor of Los Angeles is not the Fire Chief, the DWP General Manager, the National Weather Service, an emergency dispatcher, a reservoir repair technician, or Madam Cleo.
Some people are just making up job duties.
Correct accordingly.
Jasmyne Cannick lives in Los Angeles, where the rent is disrespectful. She is a delegate in the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, a civics enthusiast, and a political and communications strategist who writes about politics, power, and the people affected by both. She believes context matters, receipts are essential, and nonsense should absolutely be challenged. Find her at iamjasmyne.com.
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