Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been criticized after firing Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley over her performance during the recent wildfires that devastated the city.
United Firefighters of Los Angeles City President Freddy Escobar claimed Crowley had been “made a scapegoat” and was “terminated for telling the truth.”
Newsweek contacted Mayor Bass’ office for comment on Saturday outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
In January a series of devastating wildfires raged around Los Angeles, killing 29 people, destroying 16,255 buildings and burning across 37,700 acres, according to an analysis by the Fire Safety Research Institute.
Both civic and political leaders are investigating what took place. During and after the infernos Bass received calls to resign, with critics angry that she was at a presidential inauguration in Ghana when the fires first broke out and accusing her of cutting parts of the city budget relevant to firefighting.
What To Know
On Friday Bass announced she had fired Crowley “in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety.” She said that “1,000 firefighters were sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch the day the fires broke out” and that the chief later “refused to do an after action report on the fire.”
However, the move was strongly condemned by Escobar, president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City union.
According to KCAL he said: “On behalf of the firefighters I represent, I am here to say we are outraged at the termination of fire Chief Crowley, period. In our opinion, Chief Crowley is being made a scapegoat, and she is being terminated for telling the truth.”
Referring to Bass’ claim that 1,000 firefighters had been sent home the day the blaze broke out Escobar said: “I was here in Los Angeles when they did the recall. We had more members willing to participate than we had seats to put those members in.”
Escobar also disputed Bass’ assertion that Crowley had refused to organize an after action report, commenting: “I am going to tell you right now, an after-action report is occurring while we speak. It’s called FSRI, which stands for Fire Safety Research Institute.”
The FSRI was tasked with investigating the Los Angeles fires by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Tensions between Bass and Crowley surged after the then-fire department chief told CNN‘s Jake Tapper that funding cuts had impacted her agency’s ability to combat the wildfires. According to The Los Angeles Times Crowley was summoned to Bass’ office “hours later.”
Following Crowley’s departure former Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva was appointed as Las Angeles’ interim fire chief.
What People Are Saying
In a statement posted on Facebook the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City said: “Chief Crowley is a strong leader who has the respect of our firefighters and wasn’t afraid to tell the truth. She’s being made a scapegoat from a devastating fire without the benefit of a full investigation into what actually happened…Our firefighters and paramedics stand united on this issue. Terminating Chief Crowley was wrong.”
In a post on X billionaire property developer Rick Caruso, who Bass beat in the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election, said: “It is very disappointing that Mayor Bass has decided to fire Chief Kristin Crowley. Chief Crowley served Los Angeles well and spoke honestly about the severe and profoundly ill-conceived budget cuts the Bass administration made to the LAFD.”
What Happens Next
In July 2024 Bass announced she would seek another term as Los Angeles mayor in 2026. However criticism of her performance during the wildfires is likely to be used against Bass by rival candidates.
The post Karen Bass Attacked for Firing LA Fire Chief: ‘Scapegoat’ appeared first on Newsweek.
