Lafd Tried To Protect Bass From 'reputational Harm' Stemming From After-action Report - Beritaja

Shortly earlier releasing an after-action study connected the Palisades fire, the Los Angeles Fire Department issued a confidential memo detailing plans to protect Mayor Karen Bass and others from “reputational harm” successful relationship pinch the city’s handling of the catastrophic blaze, records obtained by The Times show.

“It’s our extremity to hole and protect Mayor Bass, the City, and the LAFD from reputational harm associated pinch the upcoming nationalist merchandise of its AARR, done a broad strategy that includes consequence assessment, proactive and reactive communications, and situation response,” the memo states, referring to the acronym for the LAFD’s report.

The 13-page archive is connected LAFD letterhead and includes email addresses for section officials, representatives of Bass’ agency and nationalist relations consultants hired to thief style messaging about the fire, though it is not known to whom it was yet distributed. The Times obtained the memo, titled “LAFD AARR: Strategic Response Plan,” from the LAFD done the California Public Records Act.

Labeled “for soul usage only,” the memo, which is unsigned, intends to style news media sum of the report’s findings, including done efforts to “minimize reliable Q&A” by asking to clasp closed-door briefings pinch the Fire Commission and City Council. The memo is undated but notes that “This scheme has been updated pinch the latest timeline arsenic of 10/7.” The after-action study was released to the nationalist connected Oct. 8.

The Times disclosed successful December that the study had been altered to deflect disapproval of the LAFD’s nonaccomplishment to pre-deploy engines and crews to the Palisades up of the Jan. 7, 2025 fire, among different shortcomings successful the city’s preparations for and consequence to the deadly disaster.

Mayor Karen Bass joins L.A. City Council and organization information leaders astatine City Hall successful downtown Los Angeles connected February 17, 2026.

(Christina House/Los Angeles Times)

Bass has many times denied that she was progressive successful immoderate effort to h2o down the report, which was meant to spell retired mistakes and propose measures to debar repeating them aft a occurrence that killed 12 group and destroyed thousands of homes. But 2 sources pinch knowledge of Bass’ agency person said that aft receiving an early draught of the report, the politician told then-Interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva that it could expose the metropolis to ineligible liabilities.

Bass wanted cardinal findings about the LAFD’s actions removed aliases softened earlier the study was made public, the sources told The Times early this month. The politician has said that The Times’ communicative based connected the sources’ accounts was “completely fabricated.”

Representatives of Bass’ agency and the LAFD did not instantly remark this week connected the 13-page “strategic consequence plan” memo.

The disclosure about the effort to protect the mayor’s estimation comes aft different records revealed that she was starring harm power efforts about some the after-action study and an announcement by national prosecutors that the Palisades occurrence was caused by a rekindling of a smaller blaze.

The LAFD was facing scrutiny complete why it grounded to put retired the earlier blaze.

“Any further interviews pinch the Fire Chief would apt dangle connected the Mayor’s guidance,” LAFD spokesperson Capt. Erik Scott wrote successful an Oct. 9 email to a Bass aide, Villanueva and others. “Regarding a property conference, I would beryllium cautious arsenic it could induce a precocious measurement of challenging questions, and this would besides beryllium contingent connected the Mayor’s direction.”

Before releasing the after-action report, the LAFD formed an soul situation guidance squad and brought successful the nationalist relations consultants, Beverly Hills-based Lede Co., to thief style its messaging about the fire. In the 13-page strategy memo, Lede, whose fee was covered by the nonprofit Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, is tasked pinch helping to negociate and show news media sum of the report.

The latest group of documents obtained by The Times includes a “Tough Q&A” pinch projected answers to questions that news reporters mightiness inquire Bass and Villanueva. The questions for Bass centered about the fund and erstwhile Fire Chief Kristin Crowley’s claims that fund restrictions hampered the department’s expertise to conflict the Palisades fire, pinch the projected answers emphasizing that the fund was not cut.

Ronnie Villanueva speaks during his assignment arsenic interim LAFD Chief connected Feb. 21, 2025.

(Drew A. Kelley / Long Beach Press-Telegram via Getty Images)

Villanueva’s projected answers focused connected the “unstoppable” quality of the occurrence and improvements LAFD has since made to guarantee capable staffing connected reddish emblem days.

Other soul emails reviewed by The Times show that Bass met pinch Villanueva about the after-action study successful mid-July.

The mayor’s domiciled successful altering the after-action study and managing its merchandise has go an rumor successful her reelection campaign. Bass antecedently said done a spokesperson that her agency simply encouraged the LAFD to fact-check references successful the study about metropolis finances and the forecast of precocious winds starring up to Jan. 7. The politician later told The Times that the study was “technical,” saying, “I’m not a firefighter.”

The changes that ended up successful the last study were significant, pinch immoderate Palisades residents and erstwhile LAFD chiefs saying they amounted to a cover-up.

A week aft the fire, The Times exposed LAFD officials’ decisions not to afloat unit up and pre-deploy each disposable engines and firefighters to the Palisades and different high-risk areas earlier the vulnerable winds hit. Bass later removed Crowley, citing the nonaccomplishment to support firefighters connected work for a 2nd shift.

An first draught of the after-action study said the pre-deployment decisions “did not align” pinch policy, but the last type said the number of companies pre-deployed “went supra and beyond the modular LAFD pre-deployment matrix.”

Fire fighters activity to extinguish flames during the Eaton occurrence connected Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 successful Altadena, CA.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

The writer of the report, Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, declined to endorse the last type because of changes that altered his findings and made the report, successful his words, “highly unprofessional and inconsistent pinch our established standards.”

Even pinch the deletions and changes, the study delivered a harsh critique of the LAFD’s capacity during the Palisades fire, pointing to a disorganized response, failures successful connection and chiefs who didn’t understand their roles. The study recovered that apical commanders lacked a basal knowledge of wildland firefighting tactics, including “basic suppression techniques.”

Fire Chief Jaime Moore, an LAFD seasoned whom Bass named arsenic main successful November, has said he is focused connected the early and not willing successful assigning blasted for changes to the report. But he said he will not let akin edits to early after-action reports.

The after-action study included conscionable a little reference to the Lachman fire, a mini Jan. 1, 2025, blaze that rekindled six days later into the Palisades fire.

The Times recovered that a battalion main ordered firefighters to rotation up their hoses and time off the Lachman pain area the time aft the occurrence was supposedly extinguished, contempt complaints by unit members that the crushed still was smoldering.

After the Times report, Bass directed Moore to committee an independent investigation into the LAFD’s handling of the Lachman fire.

LAFD officials person said that about of the 42 recommendations successful the after-action study person been implemented, including mandatory staffing protocols connected reddish emblem days and training connected wind-driven fires, tactical operations and evacuations.

Pringle is simply a erstwhile Times unit writer.