By Gloria Ogbonna
In a highly contested vote, the Los Angeles City Council backed Mayor Karen Bass’s decision to fire L.A. Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley, voting 13-2 to affirm the termination.
Under the city charter, Crowley needed the support of 10 out of 15 council members to be reinstated as chief, but she fell short, sealing her removal from the department’s leadership.
The decision comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding the city’s response to recent wildfires and alleged mismanagement within the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
As Breitbart News reported, Mayor Bass announced Crowley’s dismissal last month, citing critical failures in wildfire response.
According to Bass, when devastating fires broke out in Pacific Palisades, Crowley’s leadership resulted in:
•1,000 firefighters being sent home instead of remaining on duty.
•40 fire engines left unmanned during the critical response period.
•A refusal to conduct an after-action report to assess the department’s handling of the crisis.
“These failures put lives at risk,” Bass argued, insisting that new leadership was needed to restore public confidence in the fire department.
Crowley Pushes Back on the Allegations
However, Kristin Crowley has strongly denied these claims, arguing that her dismissal was unjustified.
The Westside Current reported that Crowley disputed the mayor’s version of events, stating that:
•She did not send 1,000 firefighters home as Bass alleged.
•The 40 fire engines in question were fully staffed and actively responding to 911 calls when the Palisades Fire erupted.
Crowley’s supporters argue that she was unfairly scapegoated for the administration’s own budget cuts and mismanagement.
Political Battle Over Crowley’s Firing
Crowley’s fate was effectively decided by a divided city council.
Several council members—including Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, along with Curren Price, Hugo Soto-Martinez, Adrin Nazarian, and Bob Blumenfield—stood by Mayor Bass’s decision, ensuring that Crowley’s bid for reinstatement failed.
On the other side, Council Members Traci Park and Monica Rodriguez strongly opposed Crowley’s removal and urged their colleagues to reverse the firing and reinstate her as fire chief.
Despite their efforts, the 13-2 vote ultimately upheld Crowley’s dismissal.
Adding to the controversy, reports suggest that budgetary decisions made by Mayor Bass herself may have contributed to the firefighting failures that she blamed on Crowley.
The Los Angeles Times reported that ten fire engines that could have been pre-deployed to Pacific Palisades were not stationed ahead of time.
Breitbart News further revealed that these decisions were largely made for budgetary reasons, as Bass had slashed nearly $18 million from the LAFD’s budget.
This revelation fueled criticism from Bass’s detractors, who argue that instead of firing Crowley, Bass herself should have resigned for mismanaging emergency response resources.
With Crowley officially out, the city must now appoint a new fire chief to lead the department. However, the controversy surrounding her removal is far from over. Critics argue that Bass’s administration is shifting blame instead of addressing deeper issues, while others claim that Crowley’s leadership failures justified her dismissal.
As Los Angeles continues to battle budget constraints, fire risks, and political turmoil, the debate over who is truly responsible for the city’s emergency response failures is likely to persist.
SourceBreitbart
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