Karen Bass will not be forced to testify at the trial for the firebug accused of starting the deadly Pacific Palisades inferno, a judge has ruled.
Court hearings against Uber driver Jonathan Rinderknecht started Monday with jury deliberations, where Judge Anne Hwang read out the witness list including dozens of names.
But the embattled Los Angeles mayor, who it currently in a tight reelection fight, was not mentioned.
Prosecutors claim Rinderknecht ignited the most expensive wildfire in US history, killing 12 people, torching thousands of homes and causing $150 billion in damages in January 2025.
The Florida native, 30, who lived in the area, allegedly ignited the flames near a hiking trail in the hillside at 12:12 a.m. on New Year’s Day – moments after dropping off his Uber passengers.
Rinderknecht’s attorney Steve Haney exclusively told the California Post on Monday there were a lot of people he wanted to call to the witness stand but his hands were cuffed.
He said: “The judge has put some restrictions on us with respect to arguing the negligence of the fire department.
“That would lead into Karen Bass having some kind of role here in terms of testimony. So our focus will be a little narrower, on the fact that [Rinderknecht] didn’t start the fire on January 1.”
According to court documents, law enforcement determined that the Palisades Fire was a “holdover” fire from the Lachman blaze which had continued to smolder and burn underground.
Rinderknecht was indicted last year on three federal arson charges for allegedly sparking the smaller Lachman Fire in the Palisades Highlands — just six days before the catastrophic Palisades Fire tore through the area. He has pleaded not guilty.
Judge Anne Hwang ruled on May 20 the defense could not introduce evidence or arguments about alleged negligence by the fire department in responding to the earlier blaze.
Haney has said his client is being used as a scapegoat for the Los Angeles Fire Department’s failure to fully extinguish the earlier blaze.
Rinderknecht appeared in court in a white shirt, black pants, blue tie, sporting a light beard, and with much shorter hair than the public last saw him. At times he was seen in light conversation with Haney.
Haney put his hand on Rinderknecht’s shoulder as he introduced him to the prospective juror pool.
When asked after court how his client was doing, Haney said: “He’s doing all right. He’s been in there for eight months, locked up. It’s always very, very difficult for a client who’s never been in trouble with the law before.”
Also in court taking a slew of notes was Rinderknecht’s dad Joel, who had little interaction with his son in the court room and had to sit in the back behind the jurors.
“His dad’s been able to visit him a few times at the jail but he flew in from France to support his son, and it’s good to have him here,” Haney said.
The approximately 100 jurors, which included several races and ages, were asked to fill out a questionnaire and return to the court on Tuesday.
A total of 12 jurors and 4 alternates will be selected from the nearly 100. The judge told them not to talk to anyone about the case and not to watch or follow media coverage.
Rinderknecht was arrested on October 7 and a federal grand jury indicted him with one count of destruction of property by means of fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and one count of timber set afire.
Detectives – using witness statements, video surveillance, cellphone data, and analysis of fire dynamics and patterns at the scene – determined that Rinderknecht “maliciously” set the Lachman Fire just after midnight on Jan. 1, according to a statement by the Department of Justice.
Rinderknecht faces 45 years in prison.
