City Hall drama flared as Mayor Karen Bass iced out county rival Lindsey Horvath, excluding her from the State of the City address amid talks of a 2026 mayoral showdown between the two.
The invite-only speech at the Expo Center Monday drew about 500 insiders — City Council members, county officials, police and fire brass — but Horvath’s absence was glaring. Her office confirmed to The California Post she was not invited.
In a city where protocol is power, the omission read loud and clear.
For a mayor who preaches “locking arms,” the snub felt less like unity and more like a calculated flex.
Bass’ office did not respond to a request for comment.
The tension isn’t new. It’s been simmering for more than a year and burst into public view during the Palisades fire.
Texts obtained by the Los Angeles Times show Horvath accusing Bass of sidelining the county as the fire raged, winds threatened new blazes, and fears of mudslides loomed.
“You asked us to lay off the daily pressers. We did,” Horvath wrote. “We asked you to join us… No response. Now we hear you’re doing one without us?”
Then the dagger: “Doesn’t feel very ‘locked arms’ to me.”
Bass replied hours later, suggesting a meeting and saying she wasn’t sure what announcement Horvath meant. Records reviewed by the Times describe a broader pattern of strained emails and growing mistrust at a moment when coordination was critical.
Publicly, Bass called Horvath a “tremendous partner.” Privately, the relationship frayed.
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The rift goes beyond wildfire recovery. The two have clashed over homelessness policy, with Horvath pushing to pull hundreds of millions from LAHSA — a move Bass warned would slow progress and add bureaucracy.
Bass also broke tradition with the speech itself, bypassing City Hall for a glossy off-campus production — widely seen inside City Hall as the first of two carefully choreographed appearances ahead of 2026.
