Tag: Mayor Karen Bass

PACIFIC PALISADES—On June 11, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) responded to structure fire at a commercial building located at 1515, Palisades Drive that houses the office of reality TV star, and former Los Angeles Mayoral candidate, Spencer Pratt. LAFD firefighters, including two ladder trucks from Fire Stations 23 and 69 in Cheviot Hills were dispatched to the scene along with LAFD arson investigators. Ballotpedia reports that Pratt, was initially carrying 25.8 percent of the vote. Los Angeles City council member, Nithya Raman had 28.5 percent, and incumbent Mayor, Karen Bass reportedly held 34.3 percent. Pratt was running as a Republican, Raman was running non-partisan, and Bass as a Democrat. The latter two advanced to the general election. There was a lull that took place in California during the counting of ballots. Multiple news outlets reported on the extraordinarily long time it took to tally the votes. The procedure of counting ballots previously had results within several hours of the polls closing. A few days after Spencer Pratt conceded, he posted the following message on his X social media page. “I am proud to be teaming up with Karen Bass’ brother in suing his sister for reckless negligence that led to the destruction of our homes. I hope their Thanksgiving dinner isn’t too awks [slang term for awkward]. I know ours haven’t been the same since last year.” The home of Spencer Pratt, his wife Heidi Montag, and their two children was burned to the ground in the Pacific Palisades fire in January 2025. Karen Bass’s brother, Kenneth Bass and his wife Cindy lost their home in the fire as well.  They are all a part of a class-action lawsuit filed due to the State of California and the City of Los Angeles’s lack of preparation. The Ynez Reservoir was dry and the water from the fire hydrants was not enough to save all of the residents and their homes. After the fire broke out in the same Pacific Palisades building as Spencer Pratt’s Crystals company, Pratt referred to the fire as, “suspicious.” “I will wait for the investigators to make public the details, but this was no accident, and the timing of this…on the heels of all of the contentious election tomfoolery of the last two weeks, it is very suspect, indeed.” Pratt thanked LAFD for their hard work, but noted that, “There are many unscrupulous people in this city who will stop at nothing to silence people who expose the corruption that has overrun our city.” Oscar Chang, the building Superintendent, indicated that everything was fine. “We were here on Tuesday, and everything was great. There are a couple of tenants, even during the renovations. Spencer Pratt maintained an office there. His office was very low-key. He does not have a name on the office,” Chang stated. The fire remains under investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to call LAFD Arson investigations. By Sharon

SHERMAN OAKS—On August 28, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) updated their press release regarding the August 26 home invasion that occurred in the 1500 block of Green Leaf Street in Sherman Oaks. According to reports the three suspects, later identified as Isaiah Rankins, Juan Carlos Gonzales, and Dion Hill were on supervised release “during the commission of the crimes.”

The updated bail amount for each suspect:
Isaiah Rankins – No bail
Juan Carlos Gonzalez – $1,000,000.00
Dion Hill – $2,000,000.00

One of the suspects reportedly accosted the nanny in the home and forced her into a bedroom while the group stole over $200,000 worth of items.

The following information came directly from the LAPD press release:

“All three suspects are residents of Los Angeles and were transported to 77th Street Jail where they were booked for 211 P.C – Robbery (Home Invasion). Bail for each suspect was set at $175,000.00, which includes bail enhancements for prior burglaries and supervised probation for firearm possession. All three suspects are also on supervised release.
The same Metropolitan Division officer involved in locating the suspect’s vehicle also alerted the Commercial Crimes Division (CCD), which houses the FBI Major Theft Task Force (MTTF) detectives, who target organized property crime.

Consequently, in the early morning hours of August 27, 2024, twelve investigators from CCD responded to the locations to further the investigation. Detectives from CCD authored a search warrant and assumed investigative responsibility at three locations in Compton and two additional locations in South Los Angeles related to these suspects. Property was recovered at the Compton residence at 1000 West 152nd Street that was believed to have been stolen from the victim’s Sherman Oaks residence.

In response to these recent developments, LAPD Chief Dominic Choi states:

“The collaboration of the various enforcement and investigative entities from within the Los Angeles Police Department is what brought this case together. We will continue to utilize resources to address residential burglaries in Encino, West Los Angeles, and any other Los Angeles neighborhood being targeted by criminals. While arresting these individuals is a step in the right direction, our work is not done.”

Mayor Karen Bass also added, “We will continue our urgent work to make Los Angeles safer and combat crime throughout the city. I have met with Angelenos’who live in areas experiencing an uptick in burglaries and have been in close coordination with LAPD as we take steps to suppress crime in these areas. Those responsible for crimes must be held accountable and I thank the LAPD for their work,”

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to call the Commercial Crimes Division, at (213) 486-6955, between 6:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (1-877-527-3247).”

By Sharon