Los Angeles is lacking explanations about why the Palisades Fire “exploded” and turned to a PR firm.
L.A. Times reporters Alene Tchekmedyian and Paul Pringle discovered that the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation paid Lede, a high-level celebrity public relations firm to reshape the messaging of the Palisades Fire.
What image would they need to reshape? Ask Palisades Resident Jeremy Padawar, who held a “They Let it Burn” rally on the anniversary of the January 7 Palisades Fire.
“The day after the fire, Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom’s fire-message-shaping campaign was on full blast… claiming the fire was the product of climate change, wind, and then later adding building materials and plant materials too close to homes,” Padawar said. “Everything to point the finger away from themselves, the city, the state as well as political or financial liability. LAFD Foundation hiring a PR firm to reshape the messaging is just a continuation of systematic and purposeful gaslighting, untruth and cover-up to avoid embarrassment, accountability and liability. Honest brokers would OWN IT.”
Jeremy Padawer spoke to the crowd gathered for the “They Let Us Burn” rally.
After the devastation if the Palisades Fire, it was widely reported that there was scarce firefighting resources. In the months following the fire, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation raked in millions of dollars in charitable donations from people who wanted to help hire firefighters and buy equipment.
The Foundation calls itself the official nonprofit of LAFD and helps provide equipment and also funds programs. One person who contributed to the LAFD Fire Foundation was Rick Caruso, who committed $5 million to the Fire Department Foundation, in annual increments of $1 million.
Caruso told The L.A. Times on January 20 that the foundation should disclose the amount and specific purpose of its spending on Lede, and that he will ask for an audit to ensure that none of his initial $1-million donation went to the company. “I don’t want the money we donated going to a PR firm,” he said.
Neither LAFD, nor the Foundation would say how much money was paid to Lede, which advertises “we help best-in-class organizations and individuals establish and manage their public affairs, as well as develop and support their mission, including brand strategy, internal and external communications and PR, content and campaign development, as well as their social impact, sustainability and advocacy efforts. Clients include Audi, Bose, Hello Sunshine (Reese Witherspoon’s company) and Complex (media and entertainment).”
According to the Times, Liz Lin, president of the foundation, said in an email. “The LAFD Foundation provided communications support by hiring the Lede Company as part of its mission to provide resources to the LAFD. Specific details regarding the Department’s use of the Lede Company should be addressed by the LAFD.”
No one from LAFD is answering questions about the work Lede performed, but after seven revisions in the After-Action report, it is suspected the PR firm helped with rewrites. The initial author of the report LAFD Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, refused to endorse the final version because of the changes and called the report ““highly unprofessional and inconsistent with our established standards.”
Fire Chief Jaime Moore, who answered questions at the Pacific Palisades Community Council January 22 meeting said he introduced himself to Lede in mid-November, but didn’t work with them.
At the PPCC meeting, Moore said “I would think a PR firm was going to give advice to the fire chief, because at the time, they didn’t have a director of public information. So, my assumption would be they were using a PR firm as the PR director.” That statement to the PPCC was exactly what he told the L.A. Times.
At the PPCC meeting he introduced his newly hired public information officer Stephanie Moore.
At the meeting Moore was asked to name names of the people responsible for watering down the report, but said that wasn’t his emphasis, instead “I’m moving forward.”
Mayor Karen Bass’ office did not respond to LA Times questions about whether she met with Lede.
Speaking to the LA Times, Austin Beutner, a former Los Angeles Unified school superintendent who is running for mayor, said the failure by Bass, the LAFD and the foundation to explain the Lede Company’s role is “an unconscionable lack of transparency.”
L.A. City Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, who lost his home in the fire said, “It is disheartening to learn that, once again, charitable donations are being used for something that donors never intended. I highly doubt that people gave to the LAFD Foundation thinking that their money would be used to hire a celebrity PR firm and doctor a critical after-action report on the Palisades Fire.”