Bass directed watering down of Palisades fire after-action report, sources say

"But two sources with knowledge of Bass' office said that after receiving an early draft, the mayor told then-interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva that the report could expose the city to legal liabilities for those failures. Bass wanted key findings about the LAFD's actions removed or softened before the report was made public, the sources said - and that is what happened."

"The sources told The Times that two people close to Bass informed them of the mayor's behind-the-scenes role in watering down the report. One source spoke to both of the people; the other spoke to one of them. The sources requested anonymity to speak frankly about the mayor's private conversations with Villanueva and others. The Times is not naming the people who are close to Bass because that could have the effect of identifying the sources."

Mayor Karen Bass repeatedly denied involvement in altering an after-action report on the Palisades fire. Two sources with knowledge of Bass' office said Bass told interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva that the early draft could expose the city to legal liabilities and wanted key findings about LAFD actions removed or softened. The report released Oct. 8 reflected those changes. Two people close to Bass reportedly confirmed her behind-the-scenes role and said Bass retained the original draft until after edits occurred. Confidential sources requested anonymity, and the confidants said they would testify under oath if necessary. It remains unclear who made line-by-line edits.

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