Reactions to the firing of L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley have underscored Mayor Karen Bass’ tenuous political position. Rather than side with the mayor, a number of city council members have offered kind words for Crowley, and one member has outwardly criticized Bass over the termination.
Bass fired Crowley on Friday, three weeks after a massive wildfire destroyed much of the Pacific Palisades.
“We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch,” Bass said in a statement. “Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the President of the Fire Commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after action report on the fires. The Chief refused. These require her removal. The heroism of our firefighters – during the Palisades fire and every single day – is without question. Bringing new leadership to the fire department is what our city needs.”
Just one day before the termination, Bass blamed Crowley for failing to warn her about the severity of the red flag conditions that sparked the fires. Bass has been criticized for leaving the city for a trip to Africa during a massive wind storm.
As California City News noted at the time, the extreme weather conditions were considered a potentially life-threatening event. While Bass has said she was unaware of the severity, a weather warning was issued on X by her official account.
District 7 Councilmember Monica Rodriguez says she was “incredibly outraged and disappointed" by the decision to fire Crowley. Calling her “the most qualified member of the Los Angeles City Fire Department,” Rodriguez questioned the mayor’s rationale.
"One of the things that really troubled me is this idea that she didn't respond to the after-action report," Rodriguez told ABC 7. "That is standard protocol and that frankly is not something that ever happens quickly nor is it something that I ever experienced in all of the incidents that Chief Crowley has been a part of, refused to participate in."
The head of the firefighters union, Freddy Escobar, also slammed the mayor.
“…Chief Crowley is being made a scapegoat, and she is being terminated for telling the truth,” he said.
Escobar was referring to the public dustup between Bass and Crowley over the LAFD budget. As the fires were raging, Crowley criticized the city and the mayor for $17 million in cuts, saying they had hindered firefighting efforts.
Since the fires were extinguished, the PR situation has gotten worse for Bass, not better. First came a botched reopening plan for the Palisades and then controversy over recovery czar Steve Soboroff’s pay. He was initially supposed to make $500,000 for 90 days of work. He’s now working pro-bono after a public outcry. On Thursday, he expressed frustration over his lack of compensation, saying he was “lied to.” He has since backtracked on those comments.
Text messages obtained by the Los Angeles Times show the mayor has also clashed with L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath.
Although Crowley is no longer serving as LAFD’s chief, she is exercising her right to continue employment at a lower rank, according to the city. Crowley has not said whether she will appeal the termination. It could be overturned with a vote from 10 of the City Council's 15 members.
Bass has named Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva as the city’s Interim Fire Chief.