In the lead-up to the mayoral primary in Los Angeles, Google Maps has quietly switched its satellite images of the Pacific Palisades and other fire-ravaged areas back to images from before the 2025 fires.
The lush landscapes and older homes have replaced the grim, burnt views that actually show the extensive damage from the past year. Some critics argue that this change is a way for Google to “manipulate” the upcoming elections by hiding visual proof of the fires that affected the region.
Edward Mair, CEO of Makina Lab, shared side-by-side screenshots of neighborhoods near Sunset Boulevard that illustrate the altered images. Interestingly, it seems the most recent images had been swapped for earlier ones from before the disaster.
“It looks like Google thinks that showing the current state might not be great for the current LA mayor’s re-election campaign?” Mair commented. “Now, they’re displaying pre-fire images for some neighborhoods.”
Political commentator Mike Cernovich suggested that Google is attempting to “rig the Los Angeles mayoral election,” claiming this would “help elect communists and destroy the country.” He continued, questioning why Google should be granted significant tax breaks if they’re involved in such manipulation.
In response, Republican Florida State Senator Rick Scott called on Google CEO Sundar Pichai to investigate the matter, which Pichai dismissed as “ridiculous.”
Google’s official news account responded to Scott by stating that the app had unintentionally displayed the pre-fire images. They mentioned that the issue was now resolved, stating, “Post-fire imagery is being restored in Google Maps and Earth. This was a technical glitch caused by a routine update.”
However, not everyone like Hunter Weiss, a video creator and studio founder, was satisfied with this explanation. Weiss expressed skepticism over the claim that the mapping service had reverted to pre-fire images so conveniently. “Are they saying that the map of these burned areas suddenly went back to an older image with 2026 at the bottom? That’s hard to believe,” he remarked.
The Palisades and Eaton fires resulted in more than 16,000 structures being destroyed, with thirty-one lives lost and around 13,000 homes affected. This incident has also become a focal point in the mayoral race, with candidate Spencer Pratt critiquing Mayor Karen Bass’s leadership during the crisis.
This isn’t the first instance of Google facing allegations regarding political bias. Over the years, critics have claimed that conservative perspectives and candidates are suppressed in search results. Senate investigations in prior election cycles revealed concerns that Google favored Democratic campaign websites and buried Republican ones, highlighting disparities in online visibility.
