WOW: Palisades Hearth Chief Calls Out Superiors in DAMNING E-mail for Modifying Report back to Downplay Errors

Last updated Dec 28, 2025

In a bombshell revelation that illustrates the chronic lack of accountability in Democrat-run cities like Los Angeles, the lead author of the LA Fire Department’s after-action report on the catastrophic Palisades Fire has outright refused to endorse the final version.

Chief Ken Cook blasted the report as ‘highly unprofessional’ after substantial alterations and deletions were made to soften criticism of the department’s failures, including ignored wind warnings and inadequate pre-deployment of resources.

Sounds like a cover-up to this editor.

Just sayin’.

Wow

The main author of the Palisades fire report for the LA Fire Department sent an email to his superiors refusing to endorse the publicly released version and calling it “unprofessional” after they intentionally & substantially modified it to downplay culpability and mistakes. pic.twitter.com/XvDRY4mDQB

— AG (@AGHamilton29) December 28, 2025

… they intentionally and substantially modified it to downplay culpability and mistakes.

Now, why oh why would leaders in a Democrat-run city like LA want to do such a thing? Hrm.

Full article from the LAT. It also appears the city tried to hide the email during several records requests until they were specifically asked about it. https://t.co/Yc9Log0C2n pic.twitter.com/dxVLSFM3E4

— AG (@AGHamilton29) December 28, 2025

The city tried to hide the email.

This just gets worse and worse – and we’re not even a little bit surprised.

From the LA Times:

The author of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s after-action report on the Palisades fire declined to endorse it because of substantial deletions that altered his findings, calling the edited version “highly unprofessional and inconsistent with our established standards.”

Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook emailed then-interim Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva and other LAFD officials with the subject line “Palisades AARR Non-Endorsement,” about an hour after the highly anticipated report was made public Oct. 8.

“Having reviewed the revised version submitted by your office, I must respectfully decline to endorse it in its current form,” Cook wrote in the email obtained by The Times. “The document has undergone substantial modifications and contains significant deletions of information that, in some instances, alter the conclusions originally presented.”

WOW: Palisades Hearth Chief Calls Out Superiors in DAMNING E-mail for Modifying Report back to Downplay Errors

Recommended