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THE BOTTOM LINE - Los Angeles did not just lose homes in the Palisades Fire. It lost lives. It lost entire neighborhoods. And now, it risks losing something far harder to rebuild public trust.
According to multiple reports, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass personally intervened in the Los Angeles Fire Department’s after-action report on one of the most devastating fires in the city’s history. Sources allege that critical language was softened, key failures reframed, and uncomfortable conclusions diluted before the report was released to the public.
If true, this was not routine oversight. It was not benign review. It was political damage control after the damage had already been done.
After action reports exist for one reason: to tell the truth especially when that truth is painful. They are meant to identify failures, expose systemic weaknesses, and ensure that lives are not lost the same way twice. They are not meant to protect elected officials or insulate City Hall from embarrassment or liability.
Yet early drafts of the Palisades Fire report reportedly did exactly what such documents are supposed to do: they offered blunt assessments of preparedness failures, response delays, and operational breakdowns. Those drafts, according to sources familiar with the process, were never released. Instead, Angelenos received a final version stripped of urgency, its sharp edges filed down, its warnings carefully muted.
Mayor Bass has denied directing edits. But denial alone is not transparency. Trust is not restored through press statements or talking points. It is restored through facts, documents, and full disclosure. If City Hall has nothing to hide, the original drafts should be released unaltered and in full.
The Palisades Fire was not an abstract policy failure. It was a real-world catastrophe that tested leadership under extreme pressure. Leadership does not end when the flames are extinguished. It continues in how officials explain what went wrong and how honestly, they confront failure.
By allegedly interfering with the after-action report, City Hall sent a dangerous message: protect the institution first, explain later if ever. That approach does not just erode confidence; it virtually guarantees that the same mistakes will be repeated.
The political consequences are no longer theoretical. They are already unfolding and they are accelerating.
Rick Caruso, the businessman who came within striking distance of defeating Mayor Bass in 2022, is now openly signaling renewed interest in the race. While he has not formally declared, Caruso’s public statements, donor activity, and sharp criticism of the fire report controversy strongly suggest a calculated re-entry. Insiders widely expect that if Bass’s standing continues to erode, Caruso will move quickly to declare framing his candidacy as a referendum on competence, transparency, and crisis leadership.
At the same time, Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath whose district includes communities directly devastated by the Palisades Fire is increasingly viewed as not a hypothetical contender, but an imminent one. Horvath has openly questioned the credibility of the after-action process and is under growing pressure from civic leaders and constituents to enter the race. If she does, it will not be as an outsider, but as a leader with firsthand accountability to residents who lived through the disaster.
Taken together, these developments signal a dramatic shift. The 2026 mayoral race is no longer waiting to begin. It has effectively started and it is being driven by a single question: who can Angelenos trust when lives are on the line?
This election is no longer about résumés, or endorsements, or political branding. It is a reckoning over truth and accountability, and whether City Hall serves the public—or shields itself—when failures cost lives. Los Angeles is already strained by overlapping crises: wildfires, homelessness, infrastructure failure, and a growing sense that decisions are made behind closed doors while residents absorb the consequences. The Palisades Fire after action report should have been a moment of reckoning. Instead, it has become a symbol of leadership avoidance.
The Palisades Fire exposed vulnerabilities in emergency response. The handling of its after-action report exposed vulnerabilities in leadership. In 2026, voters will decide which failure matters more and which leaders they trust to tell them the truth.
(Mihran Kalaydjian is a seasoned public affairs and government relations professional with more than twenty years of experience in legislative affairs, public policy, community relations, and strategic communications. A respected civic leader and education advocate, he has spearheaded numerous academic and community initiatives, shaping dialogue and driving reform in local and regional political forums. His career reflects a steadfast commitment to transparency, accountability, and public service across Los Angeles and beyond.)
