Mayor Karen Bass reflects on Palisades Fire, one year after the disaster

With the lasting impacts from the Palisades Fire still reverberating through Los Angeles a year later, Mayor Karen Bass reflected upon one of the state's worst natural disasters through an optimistic lens focused on rebuilding. 

"I feel good that there's over 400 homes that are under construction now, that there's over 800 homes approved to be built, " she said. "That Palisades High will open up before the month is over, that hopefully we'll break ground on the rec center, that the temporary library will be up."

While Bass praised the progress, she acknowledged the ongoing emotional pain the Palisades Fire inflicted on residents. 

"I don't care how far they are in the rebuilding process," she said. " They didn't have a home to go to in the holidays. That sense of loss and that sense of trauma, they never get a break from it — not until they get the keys to move back in."

In the days and weeks following the disaster, Mayor Bass promised to streamline the rebuilding process, cut red tape, and even waive construction permit fees. However, she has been criticized for failing to fulfill some of her promises. 

"I was able to suspend them," Bass said. "In waiving them, I ordered the council to produce the law that I will eventually sign, but our power and authority are split."

Bass said the issue of waiving construction permit fees comes down to the total cost to the city. 

"It became controversial over how much this was going to cost the city," Bass said. "We predicted $89 million. Now, it's a question of whether it's a quarter of a billion. Hopefully, the council and legal team resolve it, and I can have a law that I can actually sign."

Aside from her optimistic view about the rebuilding process, Bass shared her deepest regret about the fire. 

Since the Palisades Fire, Bass's opponents have criticized her for carrying on with a diplomatic trip to Ghana despite the National Weather Service issuing fire weather advisories. 

By the time Bass returned to LA a day after the Palisades Fire began, 1,000 structures had been burned, and more than 70,000 people were under evacuation orders. She said that decision still haunts her. 

"To this day, that's devastating to me," Bass said. "The way I describe it to people is, the way you might feel if you're out of town or out of the country, if somebody that is close to you is injured or becomes ill. It doesn't matter where you were. It doesn't matter why you were there. The point is you weren't there when you were needed, and that to me, still cuts to the core."

While appearing to take responsibility for her absence, Bass denounced how people "preyed upon confusion" and "deliberately" spread misinformation. 

However, Bass said she can take the criticism while remaining laser-focused on restoring the burn scar and uplifting Angelenos in 2026. 

"I'm really excited about all that faces us," she said. "In six months, we'll have the world here for the World Cup. I think it's time to rally Angelenos again. We had such a tough 2025."