A newly obtained internal memo from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) is shedding light on how city officials sought to protect Mayor Karen Bass and other officials from bad publicity after the January 2026 Pacific Palisades fire.
The 13-page document, labeled “confidential” and printed on official LAFD letterhead, was circulated prior to the publication of the department’s After Action Report (AAR), which examined what went wrong in the lead-up to the fire. According to the Los Angeles Times, the memo outlined a coordinated communications strategy involving both the department and members of Mayor Karen Bass’ team.
“It’s our goal to prepare and protect Mayor Bass, the City, and the LAFD from reputational harm associated with the upcoming public release of its AARR, through a comprehensive strategy that includes risk assessment, proactive and reactive communications, and crisis response,” the memo states. (AAR refers to the department’s After Action Report.)
Among the strategies detailed in the memo was an effort to “minimize tough Q&A” for the mayor and then-interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva.
The disclosure comes amid ongoing scrutiny over the final version of the After Action Report. In December, the Los Angeles Times reported that the report had been revised before its public release in ways that softened language and reduced the appearance of the city’s culpability. Mayor Bass has denied involvement in altering the report and previously described the Times’ December reporting as “completely fabricated.”
However, sources who spoke to the Los Angeles Times dispute that account, saying the mayor had expressed concern about potential liability for the city.
The newly surfaced memo includes email addresses for representatives of the mayor, further underscoring possible coordination between City Hall and the fire department ahead of the report’s release.
The memo’s discovery comes shortly after City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a longtime ally of Bass, announced she will challenge the mayor in the next election. With ongoing questions surrounding the handling of the fire report, the mayoral race is already shaping up to be a closely watched and contentious battle.
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