Palisades Fire Accountability

Rick Caruso, the billionaire developer who lost the 2022 Los Angeles mayor’s race to Karen Bass and said last month he would not seek office in 2026, now says he is "certainly thinking about" running again after a Los Angeles Times report alleging Bass pushed to water down an after‑action report on the deadly Palisades Fire. In comments to KTTV, Caruso said the article changed his mind and accused Bass of "actively" covering up findings about the city’s response to what he called the most significant disaster in Los Angeles history, saying a mix of incompetence and dishonesty amounts to a "complete loss of public trust." On X, he called the situation an "absolute outrage" and said the alleged interference in a life‑safety investigation means this is no longer a matter of "poor judgment" that can be brushed aside. Bass’s office flatly denies meddling with the report beyond asking the fire department to verify accuracy on weather and budget details, calling the Times piece "muckraking journalism at its lowest form" and noting she has already replaced LAFD leadership and requested an independent review of the Lachman Fire mop‑up. The exchange deepens political fallout from the fire disaster and signals Bass may face a well‑funded rematch in the nation’s second‑largest city, with critics online framing the issue as a test of accountability after 31 deaths and massive property losses.