The Los Angeles Times exposed deletions and revisions in the drafts of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) after-action report that amounted to an effort to downplay the failures of city and LAFD leadership. The most significant edits involved the LAFD's deployment decisions before the fire, waiting more than an hour to deploy crews, as the wind warnings became increasingly dire. Top LAFD officials decided not to staff dozens of available engines that could have been pre-deployed to the Palisades and other areas flagged as high risk, as it had done in the past. The Lachman fire that began on Jan. 1, 2025, reignited and caused the Palisades fire, but the LAFD after-action report failed to thoroughly examine the Lachman fire to shield LAFD leadership and Mayor Karen Bass' administration from criticism and accountability.
Caruso claimed Bass' administration "deliberately and intentionally" changed the report to shield authorities from their failures.

California businessman Rick Caruso, who ran for mayor of Los Angeles in 2022, posted a video on social media this week breaking down how current Democrat LA Mayor Karen Bass took part in a cover-up of the findings in an "after-action report" investigating January's deadly Palisades Fire.

Caruso claimed Bass' administration "deliberately and intentionally" changed the report to shield authorities from their failures.

One alleged change officials made was hiding the fact that the fire from January 1st reignited on Jan. 7th, and that the LA Fire Department was ordered to stay away from the area, according to Caruso.

"This is an intentional cover-up to reduce accountability. The lack of transparency, the culture of corruption in the city of Los Angeles is despicable and is out of control," he said.

Caruso cited a pair of LA Times articles published in the past week that focused on deletions and revisions in drafts of the LAFD's after-action report on the Palisades fire.