Rosemead Reader
Ex-fire chief sues city, alleging retaliation by Bass over Palisades response Pg 15
Pasadena Buddhist Temple’s mural offers ‘Healing and Hope’ Pg 17
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Report: LAFD sought to protect Bass in wake of Palisades Fire review By City News Service
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top aide to Mayor Karen Bass is criticizing a report that said the Los Angeles Fire Department attempted to shield Bass and other top brass from "reputational harm" caused by the city's handling of the Palisades Fire. According to the Los Angeles Times, which obtained a 13-page city document through a California Public Records Act request, the LAFD tried to shape news coverage with a plan formulated ahead of the release of the high-profile After Action Fire Report on the Palisades Fire, including efforts to "minimize tough Q&A" by asking to hold closed-door briefings with the Fire Commission and City Council. While undated, the document was last updated Oct. 7, 2025, a day before the after-action report was made public, the newspaper reported. Though the report was
LA Mayor Karen Bass briefs the media a month after the start of the wildfire that devastated Pacific Palisades and nearby areas. | Photo courtesy of the mayor's office
unsigned and labeled "for internal use only," the document was produced on LAFD letterhead and included email addresses for fire officials, representatives of Bass' office, as well as public relations consultants, who were hired to help the department with messaging
regarding the fire, according to the report. Yusef Robb, a senior adviser to Bass, called the published story "false." "It's important to note that the Fire Department hired this consultant, not the Mayor's Office, and consultants write all sorts
of memos promising to save the world. LAFD incorporated this consultant into its team, so of course and appropriately the Mayor's Office engaged with that team," Robb said in a statement. "Mayor Bass removed the previous fire chief over
the chief's refusal to do an after action report and for failure to pre-deploy. The notion that the mayor then took a U-turn and 'watered down' a report that justified her removal of the chief and her public criticisms of pre-
deployment failures is just bonkers," Robb continued. An LAFD spokesperson said the department had no comment as "we have not yet identified the specific document referenced in the LA Times report." Bass' office previously denied a published story that she directed the wateringdown of the after-action report that discussed alleged failings of the fire department during the fire. She allegedly received an early draft for the report, and told then-interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva that the report could result in legal liabilities for those failures. The Times reported that Bass held onto the original draft until after changes were made. It was unclear whether Villanueva or other LAFD officials, or anyone in the mayor's office, made "line-by-line edits" at Bass' specific instructions or if
See LAFD memo Page 15
LA, LB port officials warn of new uncertainties after Supreme Court rejects tariffs By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
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ort authorities in the Los Angeles area on Friday welcomed the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down President Donald Trump's widespread emergency tariffs — but also cautioned of uncertainties resulting from a new 10% global tariff Trump announced immediately after the ruling.
In a 6-3 decision Friday, the Supreme Court found it was unconstitutional for the president to create and change tariffs because that power belongs only to Congress. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh dissented. Long Beach and LA port officials have noted the
importance of clear, predictable trade policy for effective financial planning and moving cargo efficiently to keep products flowing to businesses and consumers. Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said the Supreme Court decision affects about two-thirds of the tariffs
that have been collected since the administration implemented them last year, leading to new types of uncertainty. "First, there is not yet clarity on whether there will be refunds from the U.S. Treasury Department on tariffs already paid," Seroka said in a statement.
"Second, the administration has already announced a new 10% global tariff in the wake of the ruling with no indication as to when that will take effect." He added that the court's decision is in the midst of work stoppages for the Lunar New Year holiday. Most factories in China and
throughout Asia are closed, with reopening not expected until at least next week. "The Port of Los Angeles and its network of supply chain partners stand ready to manage any fluctuation in cargo and get it through the system swiftly without See Tariffs Page 31