LA Mayor Karen Bass Accused of Altering Palisades Fire Report

Sources claim Bass wanted to downplay city and fire department failures in combating the deadly blaze.

Published on Feb. 5, 2026

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Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been accused of secretly altering the official report on the Palisades Fire to downplay failures by the city and the Los Angeles Fire Department in combating the catastrophic blaze. Sources close to Bass say she lied when she claimed she had no involvement in the report, and that she wanted key findings of the LAFD's shortcomings scrubbed or watered down, even warning the then-interim Fire Chief that the unedited conclusions could expose the city to legal liability.

Why it matters

The Palisades Fire was one of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history, leveling over 16,000 homes and structures and causing $150 billion in damages. The allegations against Mayor Bass suggest a cover-up of the city and fire department's failures in responding to the disaster, which could have serious political consequences for her administration.

The details

According to the report, Bass was cautioned that the self-serving edits to the fire response report were a 'bad idea' that could torpedo her political career, but she still withheld the working draft until after the changes were made. The official report released in October cut a section from the initial version that exposed the LAFD's choice not to fully staff or pre-deploy all available crews despite forecasts of catastrophic winds, instead commending the department for going 'above and beyond' with a standard 'pre-deployment matrix'.

  • The Palisades Fire raged for most of January 2025.
  • The official fire response report was released in October 2025.

The players

Karen Bass

The mayor of Los Angeles who has been accused of altering the official report on the Palisades Fire to downplay failures by the city and fire department.

Ronnie Villanueva

The then-interim Fire Chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, who was warned by Bass that the unedited conclusions of the fire response report could expose the city to legal liability.

Jonathan Rinderknecht

The 29-year-old man who reportedly caused the Palisades Fire, which was initially put out by firefighters on January 7, 2025 but then re-ignited from smoldering embers underground.

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What’s next

The allegations against Mayor Bass could lead to increased calls for her recall, as the public backlash over the city's failures in responding to the Palisades Fire continues to grow.

The takeaway

The accusations that Mayor Bass altered the official report on the Palisades Fire to cover up the city and fire department's shortcomings raise serious questions about transparency and accountability in the aftermath of a major disaster. This incident could have lasting political consequences for Bass and further erode public trust in local government.