Gavin Newsom, Karen Bass Lose Big Court Battle Over Pallisades Fire
California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass are working to distance themselves from any responsibility for the Pacific Palisades wildfire. They have attributed the disaster to various factors, including wind, climate change, and even President Trump. However, the reality is that their ineffective leadership significantly exacerbated the situation, making the fire worse than it should have been.
And now, the California Court of Appeals has denied the writ petitions filed by the state and the city, which challenged a trial court’s refusal to uphold their demurrers to the master complaint of fire victims. This decision marked the last chance for Newsom and Bass to evade discovery in the significant lawsuit brought against them by residents of Pacific Palisades. The lawsuit claims that government negligence related to water supply, previous fire suppression efforts, brush clearance, and infrastructure failures worsened the fire, leading to widespread death and damage.
The post above adds: “The justices also denied the States’ request for a stay of the case. The City and State have played all of their cards and lost. The case now moves forward full speed.”
Here’s hoping this means accountability for Newsom and Bass as well as justice for the fire victims.
Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass Just Lost Big in Court Over the Palisades Fire
California Governor Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass are trying, hard, to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the Pacific Palisades wildfire. They blamed everything from wind to climate change to President Trump but the reality is their incompetent leadership made the fire much worse than it had to be.
Now the California Court of Appeals has denied the writ petitions filed by the state and city, which appealed a trial court's denial of their demurrers to the master complaint of fire victims. This was the last hope for Newsom and Bass to avoid discovery in the massive lawsuit brought against them by residents of the Pacific Palisades. The suit alleges that government negligence in water supply, prior fire suppression, brush clearance, and infrastructure failures exacerbated the fire, which caused widespread damage.
The entire post reads, "The justices also denied the States' request for a stay of the case. The City and State have played all of their cards and lost. The case now moves forward full speed."
Hopefully, this means accountability from Newsom and Bass, and justice for the victims.
Mayor Karen Bass’ brother joins Palisades fire lawsuit against city of L.A.
Kenneth Bass is one of thousands of residents and business owners suing the city of Los Angeles and other entities over property loss and other damages suffered during the catastrophic Palisades fire.
But unlike the other plaintiffs, he is suing a body led by his sister, who is in the midst of a heated reelection campaign in which frustrations over her response to the fire have taken center stage.
Kenneth Bass, 78, and his wife, Cindy, filed their suit in L.A. County Superior Court on May 18, according to court records first reported on by L.A. Material. The couple allege that they suffered smoke inhalation injuries, emotional distress and mental anguish as a result of the fire, which destroyed their Malibu home, according to the complaint.
Their claims are being processed as part of a master lawsuit alleging that numerous public entities and utility companies — including the city, the state, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the California Department of Parks and Recreation and Southern California Edison — bear responsibility for the harms residents suffered in the 2025 Palisades fire, which destroyed more than 6,500 structures and killed 12 people. Lawyers for both the city and LADWP have repeatedly denied responsibility for the losses.
Mayor Karen Bass’ press secretary, Paige Sterling, said in a statement that there was “nothing new” to note regarding Kenneth Bass’ participation in the lawsuit.
“Mayor Bass has spoken of her brother’s loss publicly since January of 2025,” she stated. “Thousands of people are plaintiffs in this action, which names 18 public and private sector defendants. The City Attorney’s Office is responsible for defending the City and DWP in this lawsuit.”
Bass shared that her brother had lost his home in a meeting with the Pacific Palisades Community Council in January 2025.
“The loss that you’re going through, I share indirectly. It’s hit my family too,” she told residents during the meeting. “My brother, who has lived in Malibu for 40 years, been through many fires, evacuated many times — this time didn’t get away.”
She described the property as a family home where she spent the holidays, and the loss of a home as “a type of shock and grief that is trauma that will be with us for a long time.”
Although federal prosecutors have charged an alleged arsonist with starting the Palisades fire, attorneys representing civil plaintiffs maintain that the city and LADWP failed to adequately prepare for and respond to the blaze.
In particular, Mayor Bass and LADWP have drawn criticism because the Santa Ynez reservoir in the Palisades was empty while the fire carved its destructive course. LADWP also has been accused of failing to maintain adequate water pressure and having a fire-prone electrical grid — claims it has denied.
The master civil lawsuit filed by Palisades fire victims is still in initial stages. The city of Malibu has filed a suit of its own accusing the city of L.A., the state and several other entities of engaging in negligent conduct that enabled the fire’s destruction.
May you like
Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt based his campaign in large part on a scathing criticism of Bass’ handling of the Palisades fire and his own frustration after his Pacific Palisades house was destroyed. On Monday, however, he failed to advance to the runoff election.
Bass will now face off against progressive City Councilmember Nithya Raman on the November ballot.
