Kenneth Bass is one of thousands of residents and business owners suing the city of Los Angeles and other entities over property loss and other damages suffered during the catastrophic Palisades fire.
But unlike the other plaintiffs, he is suing a body led by his sister, who is in the midst of a heated reelection campaign where frustrations over her response to the inferno have taken center stage.
Kenneth Bass, 78, and his wife, Cindy, filed their suit in L.A. Superior Court on May 18, according to court records first reported on by L.A. Material. The couple allege that they suffered smoke inhalation injuries, emotional distress and mental anguish as a result of the fire, which destroyed their Malibu home, according to the complaint.
Their claims are 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. Lawyers for both the city and LADWP have repeatedly denied responsibility for the tragic losses suffered.
Bass’ press secretary, Paige Sterling said in a statement that there was “nothing new” to note regarding Kenneth Bass’ participation in the lawsuit.
“Mayor Bass has spoken of her brother’s loss publicly since January of 2025,” she stated. “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.”
Bass shared that her brother had lost his home in a meeting with the Pacific Palisades Community Council in January 2025.
“The loss that you’re going through, I share indirectly. It’s hit my family too,” she told residents during the meeting. “My brother, who has lived in Malibu for 40 years, been through many fires, evacuated many times — this time didn’t get away.”
She described the property as a family home where she spent the holidays and the loss of a home as “a type of shock and grief that is trauma that will be with us for a long time.”
Although federal prosecutors have charged an alleged arsonist with starting the Palisades fire, attorneys representing civil plaintiffs maintain that the city and LADWP failed to adequately prepare for and respond to the blaze.
In particular, Mayor Bass and LADWP have drawn criticism because the Santa Ynez reservoir in the Palisades was empty while the fire carved its destructive course. LADWP also has been accused of failing to maintain adequate water pressure and having a fire-prone electrical grid — claims it has denied.
The master civil lawsuit filed by Palisades fire victims is still in initial stages. The city of Malibu has filed a suit of its own accusing the city of L.A., the state and several other entities of engaging in negligent conduct that enabled the fire’s destruction.
Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt based his campaign in large part on a scathing criticism of Bass’ handling of the Palisades fire and his own frustration after his Pacific Palisades house was destroyed. On Monday, however, he failed to advance to the run-off election.
Bass will now face off against progressive City Council candidate Nithya Raman on the November ballot.
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