The official non-profit for the Los Angeles fire department has acknowledged that it had paid $65,000 to hire a leading communications agency to represent the agency last year.
The move came as the department was facing growing criticism over its handling of the Palisades fire.
The Los Angeles Times revealed last week that the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, which raised significant sums after last year’s devastating fires, hired a “celebrity” public relations company to help “shape [its] messaging” following the disaster.
The non-profit said in a statement on Tuesday that it had played a “straightforward” role, providing $65,000 in funding to hire a consultant because the department’s communications director role was vacant. The department ultimately used the funding from the foundation to hire the Lede Company, an agency that has represented celebrities such as Rihanna and Reese Witherspoon, and determined the scope of the work.
“This is exactly how we always operate: fast, responsive, and in service to the department’s needs,” the foundation said in a letter to its donors.
The LAFD Foundation, established in 2010, gives “vital equipment and funds critical programs” for the department and since 2018 has provided more than $25m to the agency. It is independently audited each year, the foundation said in the letter to donors, and has received the high ratings from charity evaluators. Donors can identify contributions for specific programs or projects, the foundation wrote.
“We are transparent because our supporters and Angelenos deserve nothing less – and because we are proud of the work you support.”
The LAFD chief, Jaime Moore, who was appointed in November, told the Los Angeles Times that he was unsure of the Lede Company’s scope of work for the department, but that he believed they were acting as a PR director, and assumed “they had something to do with” a controversial after-action report evaluating the department’s response to the 7 January wildfires.
The report issued in the aftermath of the fire was edited to understate the shortcomings of agency leadership and the city, according to the Times.
The latest development is likely to fuel further scrutiny of the department and the city, and its handling of the Palisades fire and the aftermath. Karen Bass and other officials have received fierce criticism from some fire survivors who argued leaders failed to do enough to prevent the blaze. Spencer Pratt, the former reality TV star who lost his home in the Palisades fire and has been a frequent critic of the city’s response, recently announced his plans to run for mayor.
The LAFD Foundation, the Los Angeles fire department and the Lede Company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
