Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is being challenged over her decision to spotlight a developer project as the “first home rebuilt” after the devastating Palisades fire, even though records show the project was planned and initiated before the blaze but formally permitted only after the original home was destroyed.
On November 21, Mayor Bass announced that a residence at 915 N. Kagawa Street in Pacific Palisades had received the first Certificate of Occupancy since the Palisades fire, calling it a milestone in the city’s recovery. But backlash quickly followed when it emerged that the home, a developer-owned showcase property, had been in the works for demolition and redevelopment before the fire, with a demolition permit issued just hours before the blaze reignited. Although the building permit was approved after the fire destroyed the previous structure, critics argued the project was inaccurately framed as a post-fire rebuild.
Property records show the site was purchased in early November 2024, and a demolition permit was issued on January 7—the same day the Palisades fire reignited and ultimately destroyed more than 6,800 structures and killed 12 people. While the original home at 915 N. Kagawa Street was lost in the blaze, the developer had already submitted a plan check application on November 8, 2024—prior to the fire. However, that plan was not approved until April 1, 2025, nearly three months after the fire. The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety issued the Certificate of Occupancy on November 21, 2025…