Los Angeles was still in danger when county superintendent Lindsey Horvas informed Mayor Karen Bass of his frustration on January 21.

Palisade fire was only partially included. Forecasters had issued unusual vigilance amidst the vicious winds and warned that new fires could occur. And the first rain of the season was quickly predicted. That means the mud and debris could run down the burnt hillside.

The bus was still struggling to regain her political foothold after stumbling a few days after the fire broke out. City and county officials were holding daily newspaper meetings together – That morning and The previous morningwhen the bus spoke to reporters without a county counterpart.

Closed rooms, exteriors, and other issues, including cooperation and communication, have become topics of conflict between two of Los Angeles’ most powerful women.

“You asked us to fire the daily presser. We did. We asked to join this announcement tomorrow. No response. Now, we will be at the request of your department. When you’re in a leading role, do you hear you’re doing it without us, without us?” I wrote Horvath for the district, including Pacific Palisades.

“I don’t feel much of a ‘locked arm’ on me,” she adds, calling catchphrase bases, often using it to highlight the importance of cooperation among government officials. This slogan is at the heart of Bass’ political brand, and the mayor appears in most people.

Bass responded five hours later, saying he didn’t know what announcement Horvath was referring to, suggesting that they would sit down and talk that afternoon.

Supervisor text messages and other communications obtained by the era through the demands of public records highlight an increasingly strange relationship between Bass, 71, and Horvath, 42. Tensions arise as two politicians navigate the most costly natural disasters in American history.

As one of LA County’s five supervisors, Horvath holds a relatively modest position. When she won the 2022 election as a longtime councillor, the millennial mayor of West Hollywood was to have more than two million components, starting with one of the smallest cities in the region.

Her district extends north from coastal Malibu and Santa Monica, which extends west and north through most of the San Fernando Valley from the coast of Malibu and Santa Monica, but includes the Pallissard Fireburnscar. She also works with other supervisors to oversee the reconstruction from Eton Fire. Eaton Fire has destroyed unedited Altadena and other areas of the supervisor, Kathryn Berger area.

By contrast, Bass is the region’s most visible politician, responsible for around 3.9 million residents of Los Angeles.

For her first two years as mayor, Bass, who previously served in Congress and chaired the state legislature, has made strong relationships at various levels of government a key part of her identity. When she faced harsh criticism for the devastating fire of January being less commander, her allies said she was “weapons” as a potential blessing on the city’s long road to recovery. It promoted the ability to lock.

But the Jan. 21 encounter between Bass and Horvath is not just one-off, but the mayor’s trademark skills she relied on to advance to the homelessness fail when she needs it most. It raises doubts about whether there is a possibility.

The Palisade rebuilding from the fires will include extensive cooperation with the Trump administration, which has pledged to cut off federal funding for “sanctuary cities” such as LA, which limits cooperation with the county and state, as well as immigration authorities. is required.

When asked about text messages and their relationship, Bas praised Holvas and said the two were united on their mission.

“Supervisor Horbus has been an incredible partner. …She and I continue to work together to ensure that Palisade can be rebuilt as quickly and safely as possible,” Bus said in a statement Monday. “There will be misunderstandings along the way, and at the end of the day, my supervisor and I are united in bringing back the people we serve and returning to our home.”

Horvath’s reaction was not very enthusiastic.

“Dealing with a crisis of this magnitude is complicated and frustration is inevitable,” Horvath said in a statement. “Mayor Bass is deeply caring for Los Angeles residents. I, like all of my city mayors, continue to work with her to make sure the county supports all communities. Masu.”

Asked if Bass had told Horvath not to attend the daily newspaper meeting, Bass spokesman Zach Seidl said, “The feedback from the ingredients was that the press conference was too long.”

Horvath spokesman Constance Farrell said that supervisors asked to continue the joint report meeting, but Bass’ office refused to participate.

Text messages and emails obtained by the Times include other controversial exchanges between the mayor and the supervisor, as well as short communications from senior Horvath staff to the top aides in the mayor’s office.

Even before the Palisades set fire, Bass and Holbas were at odds. In November, Horvath was released with proposals to reduce the obligations of the Los Angeles Department of Homeless Services, which are overseen by city and county political appointees.

After spending about a year as chairman of the homeless authorities’ board, Horvath called for hundreds of millions of dollars to be moved from agents and into a new county department focused on the homelessness.

The base is pushed back and expresses concern that such a move will create a “new bureaucracy” that slows momentum to reduce the number of homeless camps.

The “Rocking Arm” mayor experienced other frayed relationships in the weeks since the flames defeated the entire city block.

Governor Gavin Newsom a few days after the fire began He spoke to podcast host John Favreau His team “didn’t get a straightforward answer” from local leaders.

Bass may also be out of sync with Traci Park, a city council member representing the Palisades. And Bass closed her own Chief Recovery Officer, Steve Soborov, from at least one important decision before it seemed to narrow the scope of his role.

Some of these tensions came to mind on Friday, January 31st, after Horbus sent her sharply expressed text. The bus announced at the community Zoom meeting that it will resume to the public on Sunday at the community Zoom meeting.

Watched by more than 600 Palisade residents, the park took the very unusual step of directly criticizing the mayor’s decision, believing it was too early for the neighborhood to reopen.

And Soboroff, who was handpicked by mayor two weeks ago, says that due to his Westside cultural urgency and deep connections with wealthy coastal areas, he is unaware of the reopening plan, and that’s when I thought it was too early.

The anger from the Palisade residents was also hot and fast venting. Hours before the neighborhood reopened, Bass reversed the course and told almost everyone except residents that the checkpoint blocking the area remains intact.

The 11-hour announcement of Bass’ reversal caught several local leaders, including Horvath. Bass’Aides didn’t inform Horvath of the reversal until after it was released.

Saturday evening, February 1st – A minute after Bass’ Office sent a news release to reporters about plans to maintain checkpoints, senior base staff forwarded the release to Horvath’s top deputy.

“FYI: I wanted to make sure Sup Horvath was watching this. Please let me know if you have any questions!” Bass ‘Deputy Government Vice Mayor Joey Freeman told Horvath Chief of Staff Estevan Montemayor I wrote a letter.

The lengthy news release included bullet points that parts of the Pacific Coast Highway city will not reopen until Monday. Most of the roads are under the county’s jurisdiction and will resume Sunday morning, which could cause additional disruption.

In an email to Freeman, Freeman, of Montemayor and Bass’ deputy chief of staff, he called the delay “problemous,” but said the county would maintain the course to resume the PCH portion.

Montemayor put the finer points in his frustration in his 9:56pm text message to Delwood. Is there a reason why you called Mayor of Malibu instead of the county? (Malibu, which is also located in the Horvath district, is a separate city from Los Angeles.)

Delwood told Montemayor that the mayor’s office “split the phone list” and that Freeman was supposed to reach out to him. She said she was always willing to connect and offered to jump on the phone.

“Sending a press release is not a adjustment. Montemayor replied: “What has been done is being done.”

A few minutes later, Horvath expressed his dissatisfaction with Bass in a text message at 10:18pm.

“Is there a reason your staff called Malibu officials without calling me or the sheriff? We are working within the protocol, but they are not in your jurisdiction. The sheriff is the same I work at [Los Angeles Police] Until McDonnell Chief, pulling the rug with a coordinated plan,” Horvath wrote.

“I’m useless. Even you and Traci [Park] It doesn’t look like you’re on the same page. [Steve] Soborov says he knows your plans from the press,” the supervisor continued. “I don’t know what’s going on there. There’s a lack of adjustment, but that’s what people want and deserve. It would be great if your team could access that page with us.”

Times staff writers David Zanizer and Rebecca Ellis contributed to this report.