Mayor Karen Bass was less popular than a year ago due to handling of the devastating January fire, according to a new survey by Los Angeles residents.
A study by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs found that Bass’ unfavourable ratings rose 17 percentage points compared to a year ago.
Almost half of Angelenos voted on had a bass-favourable view compared to 32% last year. With her highest level of popularity in 2023 months after she was elected, she was seen as favorable by 46% and at a disadvantage by 23%.
This year’s survey showed 37% had low-pitched opinions, compared to 42% last year.
The poll did not ask if the fire was considered by the views of the residents based on the survey, but her decline in popularity was probably related, said Zev Yaroslavsky, a former city council member and LA County supervisor who runs the Los Angeles initiative in Ruskin.
“Bass is bearing the brunt of criticism of the fire. That’s bad news. The good news for her is what happened overnight and she has the opportunity to regain those she’s lost by working well in recovery,” Jaroslavski said.
A survey of 1,400 LA residents from February 23 to March 9 follows the results of other poor polls on the basis of the fire.
Less than 20% of respondents to the UC Berkeley Government Institute vote announced in March said she did a great or good job of dealing with the fire. Over 40% said she did poor or very poor jobs.
Bass defended her leadership during the crisis, citing a convenience for homes damaged in the Pallisard fire compared to other large California flames.
“The mayor is focused on leading what is on track to be the fastest disaster recovery effort in California’s history,” Bass spokesman Zach Seidl wrote in a statement in The Times.
The poll follows Bass’ Rocky Performance in the wake of the fire. Despite the dangerously high warning of Santa Ana’s winds, she was in Ghana when the fire broke out. She traded Barb for fire chief Christine Crowley and eliminated Crowley after the chief said he didn’t warn her about the weather forecast.
Ruskin’s investigation took Angelenos’ pulsation on many other issues, but the main story of the year was fire, said Jaroslavski.
Over 40% of respondents said they knew people affected by the Pallisard and Eton fires, which killed at least 30 people and killed thousands of homes in Palisade, Altadena and surrounding areas in the Pacific Ocean.
More than a quarter of those surveyed said they lost some revenue due to the fire.
In the almost unanimous category, 89% of respondents said that people who lost their property in the fire should be allowed to rebuild in the same location.
The investigation also pointed out other changes to the surface, such as the homelessness, a signature issue for bass before the fire.
For several years, Angelenos, who believed that homelessness was getting worse, had risen. However, in 2025, it fell by 8% from 60% in 2024 to 52% this year.
Still, only 10% of citizens believe the homelessness situation is improving.
According to the annual number of Los Angeles’ Homeless Services Department, the number of “unsheltered” homelessness (people living on the streets) in Los Angeles fell by more than 10% from 2023 to 2024 after years of increase.
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