[palmotea]

> Well there is a very contentious mayoral election going on in LA right now, and the fires are a central topic.

> Concealing the fire damage could be used to influence or thwart campaign messaging.

I know nothing about that election, but what would be Google's angle in wanting to influence it?

[OkayPhysicist]

Google has two campuses in LA. They have at least some vested interest in local politics being friendly to them.

[buckle8017]

Google likely doesn't have an angle, but the person who decided to make this change maybe does.