Home>Articles>U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Calls Out LA Mayor & Metro Chief for Failed Riot Response

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. (Photo: transportation.gov)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Calls Out LA Mayor & Metro Chief for Failed Riot Response

Ahead of World Cup & Olympics ‘weak leadership does not inspire confidence’

By Katy Grimes, June 26, 2025 12:07 pm

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy just sent letters calling out Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Stephanie Wiggins, Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for their “weak leadership during the LA riots that led to service cancellations on federally funded transit systems across Los Angeles.”

Law-abiding citizens in the Los Angeles metropolitan area were unable to access federally funded transit services because of the Mayor’s failure to stop the violent riots in LA, and subsequent transit closures, Secretary Duffy said.

“Closing stations, cancelling bus routes, and redirecting rail lines is a direct result of your inability or unwillingness to control the protests and violent mobs that paralyzed Los Angeles,” Secretary Duffy said. “I’m grateful President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to stop the chaos.”

“The weak leadership you have shown…does not inspire confidence in your ability to represent one of the Nation’s largest cities as it hosts some of the world’s biggest events.”

Secretary Duffy also noted the failed response to the riots raises serious questions about the city’s ability to keep citizens and tourists safe during the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympics. The games are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors.

“Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass failed to show up for Angelenos as their city was terrorized by anti-ICE riots,” Secretary Duffy said. “If President Donald Trump hadn’t stepped in and sent the National Guard and Marines in, LA would still be on fire.”

“If this was a preview of their leadership ahead of next year’s World Cup games and the LA 2028 Olympics, we have bigger problems.”

In the letter to LA Mayor Karen Bass, Secretary Duffy points out that Bass’s failure to quickly and efficiently stop violent protests led to commuters losing access to rail and bus transit options. Secretary Duffy requested the mayor submit a written report within 30 days that:

  • Provides a status update on all transit services that experienced closures or delays due to the recent riots
  • Outlines how the Los Angeles Police Department is collaborating with transit police and Federal law enforcement to restore order
  • Identifies safety protocols to address future riots or unlawful activity on the LA Metro
  • Summarizes what resources will be deployed to ensure fans can get to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics games safely and on time.

In a separate letter to LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) CEO Stephanie Wiggins, the Secretary demanded details on what actions are being taken by the transit agency to deter crime, stop fare evasion, and provide a clean environment for passengers riding its transit system.

Secretary Duffy told Wiggins to provide FTA with the following information:

1. LACMTA’s actions and plans to reduce crime and fare evasion on the transit system.

Please include information about fare evasion trends and previous actions.

2. LACMTA’s funds from all sources that are programmed to improve the security of passengers and workers. This should include information about all LACMTA fiscal year 2025 budgeted and fiscal year 2026 planned funds to reduce crime and fare evasion on the transit system, including a comparison to prior year funding for such expenses. Please also include:

    1. Security – Expenditures and budgeted funds that meet the Federal transit program security capital projects set aside requirement for Urbanized Area Formula Grants (49 U.S.C. § 5307(c)(l )(J)(i)).
    2. Safety – Expenditures and budgeted funds that meet the Federal transit program safety set aside requirement for Urbanized Area Formula Grants (49 U.S.C. § 5329(d)(4)(B)).
    3. Non-FTA funds – Information about funds from other Federal government agencies directed to the safety and security ofLACMTA passengers and workers. This should include any Department of Homeland Security funds.

Secretary Duffy added, “People traveling on the LACMTA system to reach their jobs, education, health care, and other critical services need to feel secure and travel in a safe environment free of crime; and workers who operate the system need to be sure of a safe operating environment to provide transportation service. The transit riders and workers of Los Angeles deserve nothing less.”

These letters certainly didn’t come out of the blue as fallout from the LA riots is ongoing.

Earlier this year, Secretary Duffy also sent letters to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority outlining concerns about safety and security on those transit systems.

“The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of all those who travel in and through Los Angeles County. By directing local leaders to address critical safety concerns, uphold federal standards, and prioritize effective crime prevention measures, USDOT is reinforcing its oversight role in safeguarding public transportation systems. These actions underscore the Trump Administration’s broader efforts to enhance infrastructure, promote efficient mobility, and protect passengers, workers, and visitors in Los Angeles County and throughout the country.”

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5 thoughts on “U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Calls Out LA Mayor & Metro Chief for Failed Riot Response

  1. Keep the spotlight on these incompetent cockroaches and expose their shortcomings for the entire world to see…

  2. Well, this was certainly a compelling read, wasn’t it? I’d be interested to know what the response of political “leadership” was in Washington and New York when they received a similarly-themed letter from Secty Duffy. I can’t even imagine what the response from our OWN political slackers in L.A. would be, besides a “Hate Trump” sentiment, of course, which is their go-to and all they are capable of doing, it seems. I mean, where would they even begin? Because every single thing referenced in Secty Duffy’s letter is —- and has been for some time —- a crime-ridden, filth-ridden, stinking, smoldering, eternally-burning tire fire within an open sewer on top of an even bigger cesspool of a hellhole. Hard to believe that City of L.A., within the also-screwed-up County of L.A., and addressed by Duffy as well above, was ever a functioning municipality. But it once was. Now it’s as though they are racing to see how quickly we can become the next Detroit.

  3. Bass had a news conference in the last day. Every LEO boss in thae basin was pleading to all to behave on Independence Day.

  4. This was the opening salvo. Hey Bass- we’re going to move the FIFA soccer and the Olympics because you’re so incompetent. Suck on that.

  5. Is Guber Newsom aware that a brush fire is spreading near Hwy 198 below the Sequoia NP southern entrance?
    Asking for a friend.

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