The Los Angeles mayor’s office and the Los Angeles Fire Department are pushing back against speculation that the LAFD chief had been fired after saying the city failed her agency. This comes after Chief Kristin Crowley spoke candidly with Fox 11 Los Angeles Friday, Jan. 10 about budget cuts that she said has impacted firefighters’ abilities to battle the deadly wildfires still burning in the area. She also mentioned that around 20% of tapped hydrants went dry during attempts to fight the Palisades Fire.
The reporter asked Crowley three times, “did they fail you?” in reference to city officials. Crowley eventually responded “yes.”
Hours after the interview, The Daily Mail reported a source told them Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass fired Crowley over the comments. However, the mayor’s office and the LAFD both released statements that said the report wasn’t true, and that Crowley still has her position with the department.
On Saturday, Jan. 11, the mayor and chief appeared together at a news conference, putting forth a united front.
“We are both focused on our urgent needs to mitigate these devastating wildfires,” Crowley said. “Our top priority remains saving lives and protecting property.”
The mayor agreed, and said their number one mission is to get past the emergency situation.
As of the morning on Monday, Jan. 13, the wildfires killed 24 people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures, with Santa Ana winds set to make the battle even more challenging for firefighters.
LAFD Budget cuts
Budget cuts also continue to draw criticism.
CBS news reported Crowley brought up issues a month before the wildfires broke out, writing to the Board of Fire Commissioners in a memo on Dec. 4, that budget cuts have “adversely affected the department’s ability to maintain core operations.”
She pointed to a $7 million reduction in overtime hours, which limited the department’s capacity for responding to large-scale emergencies.
According to city documents, funding for the city’s fire department decreased by $17.6 million between the 2024-25 and the 2023-24 fiscal years.
Response to criticism
Bass maintains that the budget cuts are not impacting the department’s ability to handle the ongoing wildfires.
The top executive at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said the hydrants were empty because the system had been pushed to the extreme, with four times the normal demand. That extreme demand lowered water pressure, impacting certain areas.
All of LA’s 28 fire departments are fighting the fires, along with crews from five other states.
The California National Guard has also been called into help.
