Mayor Karen Bass covered up part of report into Pacific Palisades fire

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The LA Fire Department released its after-action report in October on the blaze that killed a dozen residents, destroyed 7,000 homes and caused damage worth $150 billion when it tore through the wealthy coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades for 24 days straight, beginning in January 2025.

But an investigation at the Los Angeles Times revealed that there were several edits made in the report to downplay failures by city and fire department officials.

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Two sources with insider information now tell the outlet that after receiving an early draft of the report, Bass told then-interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva that the report could expose the city to legal liabilities.

They said two people close to the mayor informed them how she wanted key findings about the LA Fire Department's response to the massive blaze removed or softened before the report was made public.

One of the confidants even reportedly told one of the unidentified sources who spoke to the LA Times that 'the mayor didn't tell the truth when she said she had nothing to do with changing the report.'

The source also said that the confidant advised Bass that altering the report 'was a bad idea' because it could hurt her political career.

Still, the two confidants told the unidentified source that Bass held onto the original draft of the report until after the changes were made.

Both confidants are now prepared to testify under oath to verify their accounts of what happened if there were a legal proceeding, the sources said.

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