By Alene Tchekmedyian and Paul PringleLos Angeles TimesLOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation said it paid $65,000 to hire a celebrity public relations firm to help the LAFD shape its messaging after the deadly Palisades fire. The foundation also did not provide the contract with the firm or any documentation of the expense. The LAFD has also declined to answer questions about the work of the PR firm, including whether any changes to the report were made at its direction. “I’m assuming they had something to do with the after-action report, because they’re a PR firm,” Moore said in an interview. “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.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 28, 2026 12:49 UTC