MALIBU—On June 11, multiple news reported that Mayor Bass’s brother Kenneth and his wife, Cindy have joined the calls action lawsuit suing the city of Los Angeles for property loss and damages incurred due to the loss of their Malibu home in the Pacific Palisades fire in January 2026.
Kenneth Bass, 78, and his wife filed their lawsuit on May 18, 2026. The legal complaint was filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming damages due to smoke inhalation, emotional distress, and mental anguish over the loss of their home located at 3045 Rambla Pacifico, in Malibu. The Bass’s are requesting a trial by jury.
The Pacific Palisades fire began on January 7, 2025. The Bass’s and dozens of other property owners in the class action lawsuit, name the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) in their lawsuit.
The lawsuit contends that in January 2025, there was not enough water/water pressure to put out the fires that burnt down homes, and displaced families. There was not enough water.
The 117-million-gallon, Santa Ynez Reservoir laid empty under the supervision of California Governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Karen Bass while Malibu burned.
Mayor Bass has indicated publicly that she too had family members, (her brother Kenneth and sister-in-law Cindy Bass) who lost their home in the Palisades fire. Mayor Bass left the country and flew to Ghana as Palisades burned.
The home of Kenneth and Cindy Bass sat on a 1.5-acre hillside overlooking Malibu Pier and Surfrider Beach. The main house on the property was a total loss. The Bass’s sold off the 1.25 acres of land on May 1, 2025, for $2 million.
The land was sold to Wings 3045 LLC, which is likely to be a real estate developer in a blind trust. The 3045 mimicking the street address of the property purchased.
The Bass couple had lived in their Malibu home for around four decades. Real Estate records indicate that on November 19, 2015, Kenneth and Cindy Bass transferred their property from their individual names into the Kenneth and Cindy Bass 2015 Trust.
According to Zillow, the 2,792 square foot residence was built in 1983. Since historical real estate records from the 1980s were not properly digitized, the names and real estate records of the original owners of the Bass property is shielded from public view.
