A federal courtroom in Los Angeles will see the start of an arson trial Monday for a man prosecutors say ignited last year’s catastrophic Palisades Fire, while the affected community continues its difficult recovery and the disaster influences the city’s mayoral contest.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, has entered a not guilty plea to accusations he set off what would become one of California’s most devastating wildfire disasters. Federal prosecutors allege Rinderknecht ignited a blaze on Jan. 1, 2025, which smoldered unnoticed in underground root systems before erupting again on Jan. 7.
The resulting Palisades Fire claimed 12 lives and leveled thousands of residences as flames swept through hillside communities in Pacific Palisades and the city of Malibu. If found guilty on charges including malicious destruction by means of a fire, Rinderknecht could face a minimum five-year prison sentence.
Lead defense attorney Steve Haney has argued that Rinderknecht is being unfairly blamed for the Los Angeles Fire Department’s inability to completely put out the Jan. 1 fire. The jury selection process is anticipated to span several days before opening arguments commence midweek. Court proceedings are expected to continue for approximately two weeks.
Word of the trial has sparked varied responses from Pacific Palisades residents, who have dedicated the past year and a half to navigating insurance disputes and bureaucratic hurdles for construction permits while attempting to restore stability to their lives.
“It drums up all of the emotions over this past year and makes me think about all of the suffering and chaos of all of our neighbors and friends’ lives,” said Meghan Wald, whose home was among the few left standing in her block.
Construction trucks and workers now fill Palisades streets, and burned trees have regained their vibrant green foliage. However, empty lots remain widespread, overgrown with weeds and wildflowers alongside the bare frameworks of former homes. Among more than 450 building projects underway, just 17 residences have received occupancy approval.
Wald and her family have relocated to nearby Brentwood, though she returns weekly to patronize the small number of businesses that have reopened, including her hair salon, her regular CVS pharmacy and the Palisades Garden Cafe, where her children once bought after-school treats.
“It’s great to see the shops that we know and love coming back,” Wald said. “It’s also hard to imagine what it’s going to be like. It will never be the same.”
The wildfire has become a major issue in incumbent Mayor Karen Bass’s reelection campaign as she defends the city’s recovery efforts. Bass was in Ghana as part of a presidential delegation when the flames ignited. One of her challengers, reality TV personality Spencer Pratt, lost his home in the blaze and has made what he calls municipal ineptitude a central campaign message. It’s not yet clear if Pratt won enough votes in the primary to face Bass in November’s runoff election.
Judge Anne Hwang has ruled that the defense can’t introduce evidence or arguments about alleged negligence by the fire department, saying it was irrelevant and could confuse the jury.
Defense attorneys had planned to include testimony from a firefighter that the earlier fire was visibly smoldering when first responders left the scene. That was gathered as part of a civil lawsuit filed by fire victims against the city.
Haney said he also plans to argue that the government lacks solid evidence or witness testimony linking Rinderknecht to the first fire, and that first responders heard fireworks in the vicinity of where the blaze started.
Prosecutors say geolocation data from Rinderknecht’s phone shows that he was in the area of the fire as it rapidly grew, and investigators later seized a Bic barbecue lighter from his car that he admitted to having with him on the trail. They will claim he was upset about a failed relationship as well as thwarted plans for New Year’s Eve, and that he ranted to his Uber passengers that evening about being angry at the world, according to an April 29 pretrial memo filed by the U.S. attorney’s office.
Lena Loh, who opened a skin care clinic in the Palisades three months before the fire, said Rinderknecht’s prosecution gives her no sense of relief. She has been struggling to reopen and is looking to leave because she can’t sustain the business financially anymore.
“I don’t necessarily think putting him on trial is gonna fix anything,” she said. “This is a city issue. The city needed to manage that small speck of fire better.”
