The Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, finds herself at the center of controversy, accused of concealing critical information by allegedly diluting a report on the fire department’s mishandling of the catastrophic Pacific Palisades fire.

In October, the Los Angeles Fire Department published its after-action report regarding the inferno that claimed twelve lives, razed 7,000 homes, and inflicted $150 billion in damages. This devastating fire raged for nearly a month, starting in January 2025, in the affluent coastal area of Pacific Palisades.

However, a Los Angeles Times investigation has uncovered that the report underwent significant edits, which lessened the emphasis on the shortcomings of municipal and fire department leadership.

According to two well-informed sources, as reported to the outlet, Bass intervened after reviewing an initial draft, advising then-interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva that the document could potentially lead to legal repercussions for the city.

These sources allege that individuals close to the mayor disclosed her intention to alter or tone down crucial findings about the fire department’s actions before the document’s public release.

One confidant allegedly informed an unidentified source, who shared details with the LA Times, that “the mayor wasn’t truthful when she claimed she had no involvement in modifying 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.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been accused of a cover-up, with insiders claiming she watered down a report on the fire department’s failures to respond to the deadly Pacific Palisades fire. She is pictured here in January

Two sources with insider information told the LA Times that after receiving an early draft of the report, Bass told then-interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva (pictured) that it could expose the city to legal liabilities

The fire 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

Yet the sources who spoke to the LA Times said they were unsure whether anyone at the mayor’s office or at the fire department made line-by-line edits at Bass’s specific instructions or if they imposed the changes after receiving general direction from the mayor. 

The fire department had also formed an internal crisis management team and brought in a public relations firm to help shape its messaging ahead of the report’s release.

Still, one of the sources said, ‘All the changes [the LA Times] reported on were the ones Karen wanted.’ 

According to the LA Times’ investigation, the fire department’s initial draft of the after-action report said the LA Fire Department’s decision to pre-deploy all available engines ‘did not align’ with the department’s policy.

The final version that was released to the public, however, said that the number of companies that were pre-deployed ‘went above and beyond the standard LAFD pre-deployment matrix.’

Another deleted passage in the report said that some crews waited more than an hour for an assignment on the day of the fire, and a section saying fire department crews and leaders violated national guidelines on how to avoid firefighter deaths and injuries was similarly removed, the LA Times reports.

Other changes appeared to be more superfluous, including renaming a section on ‘failures’ to ‘primary challenges’ and changing the photograph on the front of the report from palm trees on fire to a simple LA Fire Department seal.

The changes wound up being so extensive that the author of the report, Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, declined to endorse the final version because of changes that altered his findings and made the report, in his own words, ‘highly unprofessional and inconsistent with our established standards.’

Bass has previously denied any involvement in making the edits to the report

She has also been criticized for her efforts to rebuild the wealthy conclave following the fire

Bass has previously denied any involvement in the edits, with a spokesperson for the mayor’s office saying in December: ‘The report was written and edited by the fire department. We did not red-line review every page or review every draft of the report.’

The spokesperson then claimed that the mayor’s office asked only that the fire department fact-check any findings regarding the effects of the city’s finances and high-wind forecasts on the department’s performance in the fire.

In an interview with the LA Times last month, the Democrat mayor also insisted she did not work with the fire department on the changes, nor did the department consult her about any changes it was making.

‘The only thing that I told them to do was I told them to talk to Matt Szabo about the budget and funding, and that was it,’ she said, referring to the city’s administrative officer.

‘That’s a technical report,’ she added. ‘I’m not a firefighter.’ 

In a statement to the Daily Mail, the Los Angeles Fire Department noted that the report was conducted before Chief James Moore was appointed to the position.    

‘Chief Moore has been clear that he is determined to foster a culture of transparency and accountability,’ Public Information Director Stephanie Bishop said. 

‘He is committed to strengthening the department by taking corrective action wherever appropriate and to ensuring the Los Angeles Fire Department improves its operations and readiness to make Los Angeles a safer city for all Angelenos.’

Department officials also announced on Tuesday that most of the 42 recommendations in the after-action report have been implemented, including mandatory staffing protocols and red flag days, as well as training on wind-driven fires, tactical operations and evacuations. 

In November, critics branded Bass a ‘fraud’ and ‘incompetent failure’ after she falsely announced that the city has issued its first certificate of occupancy for the reconstruction of a property in Pacific Palisades. A sign reading ‘Fire Mayor Bass’ is pictured on a construction site in the Palisades nearly one year after the fire

But this is not the first time Bass has faced backlash for the city’s response to the destructive fire.

In November, critics branded her a ‘fraud’ and ‘incompetent failure’ after she falsely announced that the city has issued its first certificate of occupancy for the reconstruction of a property in Pacific Palisades.

The newly-constructed home on Kagawa Street was not a rebuild from the blaze. however, as the demolition project began before the Palisades Fire erupted.

Thomas James Homes applied for a permit to demolish the one-story single-family home and its attached garage in November 2024, LA building and safety records revealed. 

Critics had earlier hit out at the mayor  for neglecting to disclose when the builders applied for the permit in her statement. One even went as far as calling her the ‘worst mayor in America.’

A resident-led watch group has also warned that the city’s error may suggest LA leadership cannot ‘manage the complexity of rebuilding an entire coastal town.’

Daily Mail has reached out to Bass’s office for comment.