#  Mayor Bass: “‘Both Sides Botched It’ Is Not Leadership — It’s an Admission of Failure”

     Details    Mihran Kalaydjian   ![logo](https://mail.citywatchla.com//templates/ja_teline_v/images/logo.png)         December 18 2025      [  ![](https://mail.citywatchla.com/images/stories/Dec-2025/101k.jpg#joomlaImage://local-images/stories/Dec-2025/101k.jpg?width=846&height=478)    ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles/31976-mayor-bass-both-sides-botched-it-is-not-leadership-its-an-admission-of-failure)

  [LOS ANGELES](https://mail.citywatchla.com/los-angeles)   - [  Previous Article **How Banks and Developers Are Reviving LA’s Old Redlining—Without the Maps** ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31983:how-banks-and-developers-are-reviving-las-old-redlining-without-the-maps&catid=312)
- [  Next Article **Five Small Holes Sank the Titanic — How Many Will Sink LA’s Homelessness System?** ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31962:five-small-holes-sank-the-titanic-how-many-will-sink-las-homelessness-system&catid=312)

  ###### Typography

- [](# "Smaller Font")  ****Smaller** **Small** **Medium** **Big** **Bigger****  [](# "Bigger Font")
- [](# "Previous Font Style")  ****Default** **Helvetica** **Segoe** **Georgia** **Times****  [](# "Next Font Style")

- [ Reading Mode](# "Reading Mode")

> <a class="a2a_button_facebook"></a><a class="a2a_button_twitter"></a><a class="a2a_button_email"></a><a class="a2a_button_print"></a>[](https://www.addtoany.com/share)
>
>  [Comments](#disqus_thread)

 THE BOTTOM LINE - When Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reportedly said that “**both sides botched it**” in response to the Palisades and Eaton fires, it wasn’t just an unguarded moment. It was a revealing one—one that exposed a deeper problem in how Los Angeles prepares for, responds to, and recovers from major emergencies.

In a city still reeling from repeated fire events, evacuations, and mounting public anxiety, leadership is not measured by who shares the blame when things go wrong, but by who owns responsibility when the stakes are highest.

Wildfires are not new to Los Angeles. What is new is the widening gap between what Angelenos are promised and what they experience when disaster strikes. Residents expect preparedness, coordination, transparency, and urgency. Too often, however, they are left with confusion during the crisis and finger-pointing afterward.

Saying “both sides botched it” may sound candid, but it raises a far more troubling question: i**f everyone failed, who was in charge?**

**A Palisades Recovery Defined by Confusion, Reversals, and Delay**

For Los Angeles’ mayor, the Palisades recovery has only reinforced that concern. What should have been a clear, decisive rebuilding effort instead became defined by confusion, policy reversals, and avoidable delays. Residents have struggled with shifting guidance, unclear timelines, and inconsistent communication about debris removal, rebuilding approvals, and city coordination.

Recovery is not just about extinguishing flames; it is about restoring trust. In the Palisades, that trust has been strained as residents navigate bureaucracy instead of a clearly articulated recovery plan. The absence of consistent leadership during recovery can be just as damaging as failures during the initial emergency.

**Accountability Can’t Be Shared Away**

Emergency response is not a debate or a press exercise. It is a command-and-control operation. The Mayor is the City’s chief executive, and city departments report upward. Coordination between the Mayor’s Office, LAFD, LAPD, the Emergency Management Department, and regional partners is not optional—it is fundamental.

When communications falter, evacuations become confusing, or response timelines are unclear, residents do not care which agency dropped the ball. They care that the ball was dropped at all. Leadership requires setting expectations before a crisis, enforcing accountability during a crisis, and delivering transparency after a crisis. Diffusing blame once the smoke clears does none of those things.

**Firefighters Show Up. Systems Don’t Always.**

Frontline firefighters and first responders continue to demonstrate extraordinary courage and professionalism. They run toward danger while others flee. The issue is not their commitment or resolve—it is the system they are forced to operate within.

Los Angeles relies heavily on overtime, strained staffing levels, aging infrastructure, and reactive budgeting. These challenges are not new, nor are they hidden. They have been raised repeatedly in budget hearings, audits, and oversight reports. Yet public safety continues to be treated as a variable rather than a foundational obligation.

**Preparedness Is a Choice**

Disasters test systems and reveal priorities. Did the city invest sufficiently in prevention, brush clearance, evacuation planning, and inter-agency coordination? Were emergency alerts timely, clear, and accessible? Were command decisions decisive and consistent?

Preparedness is not about luck or weather alone. It is about governance—and governance is ultimately about choices made long before the first alarm sounds.

**Leadership Requires Ownership, Not Shrugs**

An unguarded remark can sometimes reveal uncomfortable truth. In this case, City Hall’s own words suggest an awareness that the system is not functioning as it should. But acknowledging failure without accepting responsibility is not reform; it is resignation.

Angelenos do not need leaders who narrate dysfunction. They need leaders who fix it. That means independent audits of emergency response and recovery performance, clear lines of authority during crises, budget decisions aligned with public-safety realities, and transparent reporting on what went wrong—and what will change.

**The Stakes Are Too High for Political Distance**

Wildfires are becoming more frequent, more intense, and more destructive. Climate reality demands seriousness, foresight, and accountability—not deflection.

Every failure in emergency response or recovery erodes public trust. Every vague explanation widens the gap between City Hall and the people it serves. When the next fire comes—and it will—Angelenos will not be asking which “side” botched it. They will be asking whether their city learned anything at all.

Leadership is not about spreading blame evenly. It is about carrying responsibility fully.

**Los Angeles deserves nothing less.**

*(**Mihran Kalaydjian** is a seasoned public affairs and government relations professional with more than twenty years of experience in legislative affairs, public policy, community relations, and strategic communications. A respected civic leader and education advocate, he has spearheaded numerous academic and community initiatives, shaping dialogue and driving reform in local and regional political forums. His career reflects a steadfast commitment to transparency, accountability, and public service across Los Angeles and beyond.)*

  - [  Previous Article **How Banks and Developers Are Reviving LA’s Old Redlining—Without the Maps** ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31983:how-banks-and-developers-are-reviving-las-old-redlining-without-the-maps&catid=312)
- [  Next Article **Five Small Holes Sank the Titanic — How Many Will Sink LA’s Homelessness System?** ](https://mail.citywatchla.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=31962:five-small-holes-sank-the-titanic-how-many-will-sink-las-homelessness-system&catid=312)
<div data-id="1" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-emailform eb-1 eboxContentLocker"
	data-options='{"trigger":"onPageLoad","trigger_selector":"","delay":3000,"early_trigger":true,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":1,"reverse_scroll_close":true,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":10000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"slideInDown","animation_close":"fadeOutDown","animation_duration":400,"disable_page_scroll":true,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #1 - Global Email Signup Form","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog eb-formVer" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog1" aria-label="dialog1">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<form action="https://citywatchla.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=34d69f33624fd058ee9b56516&amp;id=4bfa422f51&amp;f_id=00d6c2e1f0" class="eb" method="post" id="mcform-1" name="mcform-1" target="_blank">
			<div class="eb-form-header"><p><img src="/images/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png" alt="be a city watcher" width="350" height="97" loading="lazy" data-path="local-images:/2023/06/be-a-city-watcher.png"></p>
<p>Sign up to receive our special e-news blasts on Monday and Thursday evenings!</p></div>
	
					<div class="eb-field-row">

			
			
			
			<input class="eb-input" type="email" name="EMAIL"  placeholder="Email address"  id="EMAIL" value="" required>

			
		</div>
										
	<div class="eb-footer">
    	<button class="eb-btn" type="submit" name="subscribe" style="background-color:rgba(93, 183, 93, 1);color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)">
    		Sign up    	</button>
    </div>
</form>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>
<div data-id="3" 
	class="eb-inst eb-hide eb-yesno eb-3 "
	data-options='{"trigger":"onScrollDepth","trigger_selector":"","delay":0,"early_trigger":false,"scroll_depth":"percentage","scroll_depth_value":80,"firing_frequency":2,"reverse_scroll_close":false,"threshold":0,"close_out_viewport":false,"exit_timer":1000,"idle_time":1000,"close_on_esc":false,"animation_open":"fadeInUp","animation_close":"fadeOut","animation_duration":300,"disable_page_scroll":false,"test_mode":false,"debug":false,"ga_tracking":true,"ga_tracking_id":"G-P16BQ7X1SW","ga_tracking_event_category":"EngageBox","ga_tracking_event_label":"Box #3 - Yes \/ No Donation Popup Box","auto_focus":false}'
	data-type='popup'
	>

	<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-outside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>
	<div class="eb-dialog " role="dialog" aria-modal="true" id="dialog3" aria-label="dialog3">
		
		<button type="button" data-ebox-cmd="close" class="eb-close placement-inside" aria-label="Close">
	<img alt="close popup button" />
	<span aria-hidden="true">&times;</span>
</button>	
		<div class="eb-container">
						<div class="eb-content">
				
<div class="ebox-yes-no">
	<div class="ebox-yn-text">
		
		
		<div class="ebox-yn-headline" style="font-size:22px;color:#888888">
			<p>If you only give once a month, would you consider giving to CityWatch?</p>
<p>Your support fuels our mission to promote and facilitate civic engagement and neighborhood empowerment, and to hold area government and its politicians accountable.</p>
<p>Would you like to help? Even if you can only give $5, it will make a difference.</p>		</div>
			</div>
	
	<div class="ebox-ys-buttons" style="font-size: 16px;">
		
<a
					data-ebox-prevent="0"
		data-ebox-cmd="close"
				target="_self"
		href="https://www.citywatchla.com/donate"
		rel="noopener"
	
	
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#2ec664;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Yes
	</a>
<a
	
	
			data-ebox-cmd="close"
		href="#"
	
	
	class="ebox-ys-btn"
	style="background-color:#ef2345;color:#ffffff;min-width:100px">
	Not Right Now
	</a>	</div>

	</div>			</div>
		</div>
	</div>	
</div>