Silicon Valley philanthropist Nicole Shanahan has funded a campaign to recall Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

Bass has been heavily scrutinized for her handling of the Los Angeles wildfires while she was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s former running mate, Shanahan, was recently revealed to be a major funder of the recall effort, as listed on the campaign’s website.

The campaign’s lead consultant, Gerard Sirotnak, stated, “Nicole Shanahan is dedicated to restoring California to its former greatness and made a generous contribution to help launch this effort. She firmly believes Angelenos have the right to hold Mayor Bass accountable for her failures.”

Shanahan expressed her support for the recall on Tuesday via X, posting, “Los Angeles has endured enough.”

“Once a city of hope, It’s now overrun with crime, chaos, and suffering. Today, we begin the effort to revive the City of Angels–for the people. First step: recalling Karen Bass,” she declared.

Alongside the message, Shanahan shared a promotional video of Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times, expressing regret that the outlet had previously supported Bass.

Efforts to recall Bass face significant challenges. To initiate a recall, the campaign must gather 330,000 signatures—representing 15% of Los Angeles’ voting population—in four months. Additionally, efforts to convince the famously Democratic city to vote Republican seem daunting. 

In response to the recall campaign, Bass’ team made a point to blast the campaign for its conservative ties. 

Bass’ campaign strategist Doug Herman declared, “It’s nothing more than another extreme right-wing political stunt designed to divide Los Angeles when we need to move forward. We should not be spending millions of dollars on an unnecessary recall when that time, money and focus would be better spent on rebuilding,” he said.

Bass’ term is set to end in 2026.

Read more about:
avatar

Article by Baila Eve Zisman

Leave a comment

Subscribe to the uInterview newsletter