Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Faces Backlash Over 'Misleading' Claim of First Fire-Rebuild Milestone in Pacific Palisades

Los Angeles, CA – November 25, 2025

In a development that has ignited fresh controversy amid the ongoing recovery from one of California's most devastating wildfires, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is under fire for touting a newly completed home in the fire-ravaged Pacific Palisades neighborhood as the "first" rebuild effort—a claim critics are slamming as a "shocking lie" designed to polish the city's sluggish reconstruction record.

The uproar erupted late last week after Bass's office issued a jubilant press release on Friday, November 21, announcing that the Department of Building and Safety had granted a certificate of occupancy to a two-story residence at 915 N. Kagawa St. "The Palisades community has been through an unimaginable year, and my heart breaks for every family that won’t be able to be home this holiday season," Bass, 72, stated in the release. "But today is an important moment of hope. With more and more projects nearing completion across Pacific Palisades, the City of Los Angeles remains committed to expediting every aspect of the rebuilding process, until every family is back home."

The statement, amplified by a glowing Los Angeles Times article headlined "The first home has been rebuilt in the wake of the Palisades Fire," painted a picture of tangible progress just 10 months after the January 7 blaze tore through the upscale coastal enclave, destroying over 6,800 structures and displacing thousands.

The fire, which federal investigators have pinned on 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht for allegedly igniting a small New Year's Day blaze that smoldered underground before exploding under extreme winds, left scars across Pacific Palisades and neighboring Malibu, exacerbating long-simmering debates over wildfire preparedness and government response.

But the narrative quickly unraveled under scrutiny from residents, online sleuths, and public records. City permitting data reveals the Kagawa Street project—built by developer Thomas James Homes as a "showcase" spec home complete with an attached garage, in-ground pool, lush green lawn, and a towering tree—received its initial approval in November 2024, a full two months before the Palisades Fire erupted.

Far from rising from the ashes of a torched family dwelling, the property was a pre-planned teardown and rebuild on a lot that escaped the flames, critics contend—essentially a glossy marketing tool for the developer, who is constructing homes for 30 families now and eyeing 100 more in 2026.

"This isn’t a home, it’s a house. A model house for the Irvine-ing of the Palisades," fumed one anonymous Pacific Palisades resident in a pointed letter to local outlet Circling the News, accusing Bass of peddling "hypocrisy" by framing the project as a beacon for displaced fire victims.

The backlash has snowballed online, with high-profile voices piling on. Reality TV alum and vocal Palisades advocate Spencer Pratt blasted the announcement on social media: "Not a fire rebuild, just a developer spec from 2024."

Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey didn't hold back either, labeling the coverage "pure propaganda" and adding, "It isn’t a rebuilt home, it is a totally different 3x larger development permitted a month before the fire."

The controversy marks yet another PR stumble for Bass, whose handling of the wildfires has drawn relentless criticism since Day One. The mayor was abroad in Ghana on a diplomatic trip when the blaze ignited on January 1—sparking accusations of abandonment from her 2022 election rival, billionaire developer Rick Caruso, whose own daughter lost a home in the inferno.

Subsequent revelations—of an empty reservoir, overburdened hydrants, and firefighters allegedly pulled from a smoldering canyon against their warnings—have fueled calls for investigations and even a recall petition.

Bass has pushed back, requesting probes into the Los Angeles Fire Department's response and touting broader recovery stats: Over 1,200 rebuilding plans approved for 600+ addresses, with more than 1,000 permits issued for about 515 sites, and roughly 340 projects now under construction.

Yet for many in Pacific Palisades—a tony enclave of ocean views and celebrity neighbors—the optics sting. "We're 10 months out and not a single home (that wasn’t already scheduled to be torn down) has been rebuilt," lamented conservative commentator John Sexton in HotAir, highlighting the mayor's announcement as "irritating" amid families still bunkered in temporary housing with no clear timeline for return.

17GEN4.com