LA Mayor Karen Bass says traveling to Ghana before the devastating wildfires was a mistake

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says her traveling to Ghana before wildfires hit Southern California was a "mistake."

"It was a mistake to travel," Bass said in an interview Tuesday with local TV station ABC-7. "But I will tell you that we need to evaluate everything. Because, honest and truly, if I had all of the information that I needed to have, the last thing I would have done was to be out of town."

In early January, wildfires hit Southern California, particularly Los Angles County, resulting in almost 17,000 structures being destroyed and 29 people dying. 

Bass received immense backlash for not being in Los Angeles when the fires started Jan. 7. A petition was launched to recall her, as a result.

Bass went to Ghana on Jan. 4 to attend the inauguration of the country's new president. This was just one day after the National Weather Service put out a fire warning for Los Angeles, according to CBS News.

"Obviously I hated the fact that I was out of the city when the city needed me the most," The Democrat also said "And frankly, when my family needed me the most because I was impacted, my family was impacted by the fires as well. It is a horrible feeling to know that it took a long time to come back because of how far away I was."