Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass deflected blame over the city’s abysmal infrastructure as she campaigns for another term.
The official said in a Sept. 9 radio interview that she was not responsible for the state of the roads, according to a report from the New York Post.
“We have a crumbling infrastructure in this city that has been crumbling for about three decades and so, believe it or not, those potholes did not come, and those sidewalks did not break because I’m mayor,” she commented.
Bass, who has been mayor since 2022 and who has been in elected office since 2004, was asked if the poor road quality was her fault.
She responded, “No. I promise I didn’t break those sidewalks.”
“The potholes are my responsibility to fill them up,” she clarified, insisting that “over 20,000” potholes were recently filled.
Karen Bass says she’s not responsible for the streets being in disrepair. She cut Street Services by $61M from 2023-2025. That led to the disrepair. pic.twitter.com/J1dku3zJjV
— Film The Police LA (@FilmThePoliceLA) September 10, 2026
Bass is currently running against Nithya Raman, a member of the Los Angeles City Council who is endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America.
The New York Post noted that Bass quickly received criticism online for her attempt at deflecting responsibility.
“She literally won’t take responsibility for anything so if she’s not responsible for anything, why is she running? I just don’t get any of the logic from any of them,” April Silverman, a political analyst, wrote on social media.
“They are both so embarrassing. They’re running that you’re the best person for the job, but you’re also pretending that you have nothing to do with any of the problems in LA. They both do that it’s beyond.”
Streets for All, a progressive transportation group, also rebuked Bass over her comments.
“It is her fault for cutting Street Services and LADOT so much that everything’s breaking faster than we’re fixing it. She seems disconnected between her budget decision making and the real world impacts,” the organization said.
The New York Post added that Spencer Pratt — who run in the mayoral primary as a Republican — has also criticized Bass for the state of public infrastructure.
“Our neglected infrastructure is absolutely crumbling all around us,” he commented.
Bass infamously presided over the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires which destroyed thousands of homes and cost billions in damages.
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