Staff Reports
Spencer Pratt lit a fire of his own on X this week accusing Mayor Karen Bass and the City of Los Angeles of dumping taxpayer money into high‑priced outside lawyers to fight victims of the Palisades fire. His post forced a spotlight back onto a story Angelenos should not forget: when the city fights the people it failed, who is really paying the bill?
Pratt’s claim: millions for outside counsel
Pratt’s central point is easy to understand and mostly true. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power hired Munger, Tolles & Olson to defend against the Palisades lawsuits. Reports on that hire put the retainer and fees in the millions and noted hourly rates that would make most taxpayers wince. So when Pratt says the city is spending “millions” of your tax dollars to hire a top tier firm, he’s not inventing numbers — he’s repeating what the city already signed up for.
Why the city hired them — and what that means
There is a reason the city reached for a name‑brand firm: judges allowed the victims’ claims to survive early dismissal motions and the cases moved into discovery. That raises the stakes. The utility and the city say they are defending their records and actions, and LADWP has offered public statements disputing some plaintiffs’ accounts. Still, spending big on outside counsel instead of using municipal lawyers raises questions about priorities and accountability.
Mediation claim needs proof
Pratt also said the city and LADWP are “coming to the table to discuss mediation.” That part remains unverified. There’s no public court filing, no official city or LADWP press release, and no mainstream news report confirming a formal mediation has been scheduled. It could be early talks or plain optimism, but voters and victims deserve confirmation, not social‑media rumor. If the city is really prepared to mediate, show the paperwork and stop leaking hope without proof.
Accountability, politics, and the victims
This whole episode is both legal and political. Mayor Karen Bass leads the city, and her choices matter. Outsourcing defense to an expensive firm while homeowners wait for money to rebuild looks bad — especially in an election year when optics matter. Fire victims want fair compensation and clear answers, not expensive public‑relations defenses or slow‑walking on recovery. If the city truly wants to defend taxpayers, it should explain why it chose outside counsel, how much the contract will actually cost, and whether settlement talks are real.
At the end of the day, this isn’t about celebrity posts or legal name recognition. It’s about people who lost homes and churches and businesses. If Pratt’s post forced a bit more scrutiny on where city money is going, then good. Now Mayor Bass and LADWP need to answer plainly: how much are you spending, and are you serious about settling this for victims — or just defending a political narrative?
