LA Mayor Karen Bass Under Fire: Alleged Palisades Blaze Cover-Up Sparks Media Frenzy

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass made a swift exit from a press conference on Tuesday, dodging reporters’ questions just hours after allegations surfaced regarding her involvement in a purported cover-up related to the Palisades Fire.

During the event, Mayor Bass unveiled a series of new measures aimed at limiting the influence of ICE within the city. She assured the media that she would address any inquiries not pertaining to the announcement after her main remarks, as reported by the New York Post.

“Today’s Q&A is focused on the executive directive,” Bass stated. “If you have political questions, I’m happy to address those afterward. I don’t want to keep everyone waiting here.”

Contrary to her promise, Mayor Bass left the stage before the press could ask their questions.

“She’s not available right now,” remarked Kolby Lee, one of Bass’s strategic communications staffers, to the waiting journalists.

‘So, she lied to us?’ another reporter responded.

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.’

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.’