Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass found herself in a whirlwind of controversy recently, evading reporters shortly after allegations surfaced about a potential cover-up related to the Palisades Fire.
In a press conference held on Tuesday, Mayor Bass unveiled a series of anti-ICE initiatives, assuring that she would entertain off-topic questions following the main discussion, as reported by the New York Post.
“The purpose of this Q&A is about the executive directive; if people do want to ask me political questions, we can just do that afterwards,” stated Bass. “I don’t want to hold everyone up here.”
Despite this promise, Mayor Bass made a swift exit from the podium, leaving journalists without the chance to pose their questions.
When queried about the mayor’s sudden departure, Kolby Lee, a member of Bass’s strategic communications team, informed the press, “She’s not coming out right now.”
This unexpected turn prompted a frustrated reaction from the media. “So, she lied to us?” one reporter remarked, encapsulating the palpable tension in the room.
Lee awkwardly laughed off that question. He also told reporters that they can email Bass their questions instead.
The mayor dodged questions that would likely have focused on the uncovered edits to the Palisades After-Action Fire Report.
The mayor dodged questions that would likely have focused on the uncovered edits to the Palisades After-Action Fire Report
At a press conference on February 10, where the mayor announced several anti-ICE measures, she also promised to address any off-topic questions afterward, but that was untrue
The Post revealed the original 92-page draft, showing that language had been altered to soften the city’s response to the devastating fire, and when released, it was 22 pages shorter.
The Palisades fire killed 31 people, destroyed 7,000 homes, and caused damage worth $150billion when it tore through the wealthy coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades for 24 days straight, beginning in January 2025.
The executive summary of the draft states that the report was prepared at the mayor’s office’s behest.
Two sources with insider information told the Los Angeles Times that after receiving an early draft of the report, Bass told then-interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva that it could expose the city to legal liability.
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 reportedly told an unidentified source 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.’
Join the debate
Should leaders be held accountable when they’re accused of hiding the truth about disasters?
The fire killed a dozen residents, destroyed 7,000 homes and caused damage worth $150billion when it tore through the wealthy coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades for 24 days straight, beginning in January 2025
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 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.
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.
Bass has previously denied any involvement in making the edits to the report
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.
‘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.’
