Shriver warned that Los Angeles needs to ‘prioritize the safety of its citizens, police, fire, schools’ as it seeks better leadership

Journalist and former first lady of California, Maria Shriver, warned “LA residents deserve better” than their current Democratic leadership.

Many people, including celebrities, have lost their homes in the Pacific Palisades area as wildfires continue to rage there and elsewhere in Los Angeles County, burning more than 27,000 acres, destroying over 10,000 structures and killing multiple people, according to local officials.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has faced condemnation for her trip to Ghana last week, which meant she was thousands of miles away from her city during the initial day of the destruction on Tuesday.

She also faced a blistering critique from LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, who said as she spoke with Jake Tapper on CNN, that “Over the last 3 years, we have been clear that the fire department needs help”, and emphasized how “understaffed, under-resourced, and underfunded the LAFD is.” She claimed, “I rang the bell that these additional cuts could be very very devastating for our ability to provide public safety.”

As mismanagement of the response to the fire has put California’s Democratic leaders in the spotlight, some of the party’s more well known donors have turned on them.

Former California first lady Maria Shriver, who had previously endorsed Karen Bass’ opponent in 2022 wrote a scathing rebuke of California’s current leadership. (Shriver photo by River Callaway/Variety via Getty Images | Bass photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Shriver, the ex-wife of former California Governor and movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger, shared Crowley’s remarks, declaring that California’s future “has to be different.”

“LA cannot go forward with the status quo. LA is no longer what it was. It has to be different. It has to prioritize the safety of its citizens, police, fire, schools. LA residents deserve better. Chief Crowley is saying LA cannot sustain itself. It needs more help,” Shriver wrote. “Chief Crowley says she rang the bell. The mayoral race presented a clear choice last time around. Moving forward, LA residents have to decide what’s important and what’s not. Right now what’s important is getting this fire under control, getting firefighters the support they need, getting our neighbors the support they need. Once that happens it’s time to rethink what is and imagine what can be.”

According to the official FEC records, Shriver has a history of donating to Democratic Party campaigns in the recent past, including “Gallego for Arizona” and “Harris for President.”

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

In July, Shriver had written a Facebook post supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’s bid for the presidency. She praised Harris, who is from California herself and served in its government for years, arguing that those who donated to her, “put their money into hope. They put their money into democracy. They put their money into this woman and what this administration has already accomplished and the work that needs to be finished! This is a people’s revolution, fueled by we the people! Let’s go!”

Shriver has consistently opposed Karen Bass, having endorsed her opponent, real estate developer Rick Caruso in 2022.