Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ absence during the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires was criticized not only by Los Angeles citizens but also by people across the United States. Bass responded to the backlash by removing the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) chief who led the department during the devastating fires earlier this year.
In many press conferences during and after the fires, Bass said city officials failed to notify her about the high wind warnings announced during the week the fires started, and that LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley dismissed many firefighters who could have been working when the fires initially began.
“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 to ABC7 in Los Angeles. “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.”
According to Bass, Crowley was one of the officials who neglected to inform her about the weather condi- tions. Crowley was also one of the individuals who spoke out against Bass as the fires raged on. During an interview with Fox 11, Crowley said the city had ceased to provide proper funding for the LAFD. Weeks later, on Feb. 21, Bass fired Crowley on the grounds of failure to notify the mayor of dangerous wind conditions prior to her departure for Ghana, according to ABC7.
Los Angeles City Council member Monica Rodriguez has disputed Bass’s decision to fire Crowley. Rodriguez said she recalls being informed of the weather warnings at a different time than what Bass said.
“My experience actually does not align with what they’re citing,” Rodriguez said in an interview with ABC7.
Rodriguez has since opened an independent investigation into when city officials were notified of the fires. The results of this investigation have yet to be revealed, but Rodriguez hopes that when they are, they will restore the public’s faith in the fire department and its capabilities.
“I think having a hearing on it presents the public with the facts of what transpired, what the truth is in terms of the communications, and I want people to have faith in their fire department’s response,” Rodriguez said.
Since the initial dismissal, Crowley appealed the termination in hopes of being reinstated, according to ABC7. On March 4, the city council voted against the reinstatement of Crowley.
Lucia Sanchez Gagerman ’27 expressed her disappointment in the situation, believing that the termination of the fire chief was not beneficial to the recovering communities.
“I think that the dismissal of the fire chief is not what the community needs right now,” Sanchez Gagerman said.
