Los Angeles is still deep in the crisis on January 21 when county supervisor Lindsey Horvath frustrated Mayor Karen Bass.

The Palisade Fire is only partially included. Forecasters issued a rare alarm in a vicious situation warning that a new fire could trigger. The first rainfall of the season is expected to be fast, meaning mud and debris can be cared for on the scorched hillside.

In the days after the fire broke out, Bass was still working to restore her political foothold. City and county officials have held press conferences every day - until that morning and the morning before, when Bass talked to reporters without his companions in the county.

After working behind closed doors, these looks and other issues involving cooperation and communication have become a topic of debate between two of Los Angeles’ most powerful women, and as a lengthy text message, Horvath sent the bass at 9:11 a.m. that day.

"You asked us to put down our daily press. We did. We asked you to join our announcement tomorrow. There was no response. Now, we heard you were the lead role in your department's request today, and you didn't do one of us today? Horvath wrote that its regions include the Pacific Palisades.

"It's not very 'locking weapon' for me,'" she added. The slogan is at the heart of the bass political brand, which the mayor quotes in most public occasions.

Five hours later, Bass responded that she wasn't sure what announcement Hovas was referring to, suggesting that they sit down and chat that afternoon.

Times obtained text messages and other letters from supervisors through public records demanding an increasingly fragile relationship between Beth (71) and Horvath (42). Two politicians navigate the most expensive natural disasters in American history.

As one of five Los Angeles County Supervisors, Horvath has a relatively low profile position and has immense power. When she won the 2022 election for long-time lawmakers in 2022, the millennial mayor of West Hollywood went from representing one of the smallest cities in the region to having more than 2 million voters.

Her area (which extends from coastal Malibu and coastal Santa Monica to West Hollywood, through much of the San Fernando Valley) includes fire burn scars throughout Palisade. She also worked with other supervisors to oversee the reconstruction of the Eaton Fire, which removed the unmerged Altadena and other areas of the director Kathryn Barger area.

Bass, by contrast, is the most obvious politician in the region, responsible for the city of Los Angeles.

During his first two years as mayor, Bass, who served in Congress and served as the president of the state, built strong relationships in government at all levels, becoming a key part of his identity. When she faced severe criticism in January because she was not a more commanding leader, her allies touted her ability to “lock weapons”, a long-term road to recovery in the city Potential salvation grace.

But the encounter between bass and Hovas on January 21 was not a one-off, which raised questions about the mayor's trademark skills (who had been relying on making progress for the homeless) when she needed it most , she may fail her.

Rebuilding from the Palisades Fire will require extensive cooperation with counties and states, but also with the Trump administration, which has promised to limit “sanctuaries” that work with immigration authorities (for example, Los Angeles) cut federal funds.

When asked about the text message and its relationship, the bass praised Hovas and said the two were united.

"Supervisor Horvath has been a huge partner. ...She and I continue to work together to ensure Palisades can be rebuilt safely as soon as possible," Bass said in a statement Monday. “There will be miscommunication along the way, and at the end of the day, the supervisor and I unite to get our people back home and back to their feet.”

Holvas' response was less wealthy.

"Treating a crisis of this scale is complex and frustration is inevitable," Hovas said in a statement Monday. "Mayor Beth cares very much about the residents of Los Angeles and I will continue to work with her - like I do with The mayor of all cities in my area is the same as that of making sure the county supports all our communities.”

When asked if Bass told Hovas not to attend the daily press conference, Bass spokesman Zach Seidl did not respond directly, saying: “Voters’ feedback is that the press conference is too long.”

Horvath spokesman Constance Farrell said supervisors asked for a joint press conference to continue, but Bass' office refused to attend.

The Times received text messages and emails including other controversial exchanges between the mayor and supervisor, as well as TERSE communications from senior Horvath employees to senior assistants in the mayor’s office.

Even before Palisades fired, Bass and Horvath had a controversy. In November, Horvath made a public proposal to narrow down the responsibilities of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Bureau, which is overseen by city and county political appointments.

After spending about a year as chairman of the Homeless Board, Horvath called for the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars to the agency and to a new county department focused on homelessness.

The bass pushes back, creating a “new bureaucratic” focus on such a move that will slow down the momentum to reduce the number of homeless camps.

The Mayor of “locking weapons” has also experienced wear and tear in other ways in the weeks since the flames cut down the entire city.

A few days after the fire began, Gov. Gavin Newsom told podcast host Jon Favreau that his team “had not received a direct answer.”

The bass also sometimes seems to be synchronized with Traci Park, a city council member representing Palisade. Bass shut down his chief recovery officer, Steve Soboroff, at least a major decision before narrowing down the role.

Some of these tensions came 10 days after Horvath sent her sharply worded text on Friday, January 31, when Bass announced at a community zoom meeting that Palisades would be on the week Hinayana is open to the public.

Park took a highly unusual step when more than 600 Palisades residents watched, directly criticizing the mayor's decision, saying she thought it was too early for the community to reopen.

Soboroff was carefully selected by the mayor two weeks ago, partly due to his West Side cultural fluency and in-depth connections with wealthy coastal communities - he said he was unaware of plans to reopen, and It's too early to think this is.

Anger among the residents of Palisades also emerged quickly. Hours before the nearby reopened, the bass turned the route upside down, saying the checkpoint blocked it to almost everyone except residents who would remain in place.

The 11th hour of the bass announced her reversal news that it made some local leaders, including Horvath, flat feet. Bath's assistant told Hovas after the public announcement.

Saturday, February 1 evening - one minute after the bass office sent a news release to reporters, her plan to pin the checkpoint in place - a senior bass staffer will forward the release to Horvath's top agent.

"FYI - Want to make sure Sup Horvath sees this. Let me know if you have any questions!" Joey Freeman, deputy mayor of mid-bass for intergovernmental affairs, wrote to Horvath ) Chief of Staff Estevan Montemayor.

The lengthy news release includes a bullet saying the city will not reopen until Monday as part of the Pacific Coast Expressway - potentially causing additional chaos as the vast majority of the road is under county jurisdiction and will still Reopened Sunday morning.

In an email to Freeman and Bass Deputy Chief of Staff Jenny Delwood, Montemayor, said the county will continue to reopen Its PCH part course.

Montemayo made a better point in his text message to Delwood: "Hi. Do you have any reason to call the mayor of Malibu instead of a county?" (Malibu is also in Horvath ) The area is a separate city with Los Angeles. )

Delwood told Montemayo that the mayor's office "separated the phone list" and that Freeman should have reached out to him. She said she was always happy to connect and offered to jump the phone.

"Sending a press release is not coordination. What you do is create more chaos," Montemaio replied. "It's done."

A few minutes later, Horvath expressed his dissatisfaction with the bass in a text message at 10:18 PM:

"Why did your staff call Malibu officials without calling me or the sheriff? We work in agreements and they are not your jurisdiction. The sheriff has been working with (LAPD) Chief McDonald's until you The carpet was pulled until the coordination plan was coordinated. ” Hovas wrote.

"I don't help. Even if you and Traci (Park) don't seem to be on the same page. (Steve) Soborov said he learned about your plan from the press," the supervisor continued. "I don't know what's going on over there. There's not enough coordination, but it's something people want and deserve. It would be great if your team can get into that page with us."

Times worker David Zahniser and Rebecca Ellis contributed to the report.