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The fire commissioners are appointed by the mayor and are supposed to provide civilian oversight for the Fire Department. But during critical discussions about the Palisades fire, the commissioners have largely been quiet.
The LAFD issued a confidential memo detailing plans to protect Mayor Karen Bass and others from ‘reputational harm’ in connection with the city’s handling of the Palisades fire, records show.
One Bass confidant told a source that ‘the mayor didn’t tell the truth when she said she had nothing to do with changing the report.’
The foundation addressed the controversy in an email blast to supporters after The Times disclosed that charitable donations were used to pay the Lede Co.
The revelation comes as the LAFD is under heightened scrutiny for altering its after-action report on the fire to downplay the city’s failures in preparing for and responding to the blaze.
The Fire Commission president’s account raises questions about Mayor Karen Bass’ role in revisions to the Palisades fire after-action report.
LAFD leaders engaged in campaign of secrecy and deflection designed to avoid taking full responsibility for what went wrong in the Jan. 7 fire.
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Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook’s email adds to the growing evidence that city and LAFD officials attempted to burnish the LAFD’s image in a report that was meant to be an honest assessment of the department’s failings in preparing for and fighting the fire.
The complaints of the author, Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, reached Mayor Karen Bass’ office in mid-November, after the LAFD had publicly released the report.
