Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ brother is suing the city she leads because of the destruction of his Malibu home in the January 2025 wildfires.
The fact that her own brother is accusing her, in effect, of being incompetent, has to be an embarrassment for the mayor, who is up for re-election in November.
L.A. Material reported, “Kenneth Bass and his wife, Cindy, filed their suit against the city on May 18 in L.A. Superior Court, according to public filings reviewed by L.A. Material. The couple’s claim, which has not been previously reported, is among thousands of claims lodged by home and business owners in connection with the fire that erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, and pushed westward into Malibu.”
“The couple allege injuries from smoke inhalation as well as distress and anguish from the destruction of their home, which had a pool, putting green and panoramic views overlooking Malibu Pier,” the news outlet added.
Mayor Bass was in Africa attending the inauguration of the president of Ghana when the wildfires broke out.
While speaking to the Pacific Palisades Community Council in late January 2025, Bass revealed that her brother Ken, 78, had been one of the victims of the fire. He is a contractor who owns a kitchen remodeling business in Los Angeles.
“The loss that you’re going through, I share indirectly. It’s hit my family too,” the mayor said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Do you think Ken is actually angry at the city, or is he just trying to get in on the government gravy train?
The news outlet noted that Ken and Cindy Bass’ claim is “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 Palisades fire, which destroyed some 6,800 structures and killed 12 people.”
In the case of the Palisades Fire, response efforts were greatly hampered by a lack of water in the area due to a major reservoir being empty for many months for repair.
NEW: Mayor Karen Bass’ own brother is part of a lawsuit saying Karen Bass over the pacific palisades fire
You literally can’t make this up
“We are learning LA Mayor Karen Bass’s own brother is part of a massive lawsuit against the city over the Palisades fire. We’re diving into… pic.twitter.com/qz2xkHtMWp
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) June 11, 2026
Bass’ press secretary, Paige Sterling, said in a statement that there was “nothing new” in her brother’s decision to sue Los Angeles.
“Mayor Bass has spoken of her brother’s loss publicly since January of 2025,” she said. “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.”
Republican Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, who came in third in last week’s primary, said Bass’ incompetence in responding to the wildfires, during which he lost his Palisades home, motivated him to enter the race.
Last week, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California blamed President Donald Trump for the anger residents of Los Angeles feel, despite the Republican not taking office until weeks after the wildfires.
“Look, I think that there is a lot of hurt and anger after the fires. My view is that the blame of that really needs to go on Donald Trump,” Khanna, whose district is in the San Francisco Bay Area, said.
𝐑𝐎 𝐊𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐏 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐏 𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐄
Congressman Ro Khanna, Democrat from California’s Silicon Valley district, on camera, on the… pic.twitter.com/fB8SQ9S9sa
— M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) June 1, 2026
Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2025, and days later traveled to Los Angeles to see how the recovery effort was going.
At the time, he voiced frustration with Bass over how slowly the recovery efforts were progressing, noting that residents were still not able to access their properties, and permits to rebuild were expected to take at least 18 months under state and local policies.
“You have emergency powers just like I do… You have to exercise them also,” Trump said.
Fox News reported that the wildfires scorched more than 37,700 acres and destroyed over 16,200 structures in the Los Angeles area.
In April, Politico noted 2,135 rebuild permits had been approved of the 4,157 applied for.
The thousands of Los Angeles area residents impacted by the fires have a lot to be upset about, both in the immediate response and the slow recovery efforts.
No wonder Ken Bass is suing the city that his sister runs.
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