(Ariel Zilber’s post from the NEW YORK POST on 10 January 2025.)
LA Times owner rips Mayor Karen Bass for slashing
fire department budget: ‘A bad call’: The billionaire owner of the Los Angeles
Times, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, blasted the city’s mayor, Democrat Karen Bass,
for her “poor planning” and “poor judgment” in slashing the budget for the fire
department, which has been hamstrung while trying to contain the wildfires that
have devastated entire neighborhoods.
“The mayor wanted $23 million [cut], she got $17.8
million as I understand. But that’s a sort of, really, I think a bad call,
especially water and fire is exactly, you know, I see the end result of that
devastation,” Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong told the Fox
News Channel during an appearance on Thursday’s Special Report.
Firefighters working to combat the blazes that have killed at least 10 people encountered empty hydrants and insufficient water pressure — limitations that are being attributed to the budget cuts that have hampered the city’s emergency response capabilities. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of the Los Angeles Times, criticized the mayor's handling of the devastating wildfires.
