The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday voted 13-2 to reject former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley’s bid to regain her position, delivering a key victory to Mayor Karen Bass, despite fierce opposition from firefighters who accused the mayor of scapegoating Crowley for the city’s failures during the devastating Palisades Fire.
A Controversial Dismissal
Crowley, the first woman to lead the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) in its 139-year history, was fired on February 21 by Bass, who cited mismanagement and failure to respond adequately to the January 7 wildfire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
Bass accused Crowley of:
- Failing to pre-deploy up to 1,000 additional firefighters as the fire spread under hurricane-force Santa Ana winds.
- Refusing to participate in an internal after-action report on the city’s wildfire response.
- Failing to warn the mayor’s office about worsening wind conditions.
Crowley pushed back hard, calling the allegations retaliation for speaking out about the department’s lack of funding.
“The fire chief should not be punished for speaking openly and honestly about the needs of the LAFD,” she said.
Her supporters, including firefighters’ union leaders and city council members Monica Rodriguez and Traci Park, argued that Bass was trying to shift blame for the city’s chronic understaffing and poor emergency preparedness.
Firefighters Rally Behind Crowley
Dozens of L.A. firefighters packed the council chambers in a show of solidarity, erupting in chants of “Reinstate! Reinstate!” after Crowley’s testimony.
Firefighter union leader Chuong Ho said Crowley was fired for “telling the truth” about years of underfunding and shortages.
“She stood up, she spoke out, and she had our backs,” he said.
Union president Freddy Escobar echoed those remarks:
“Chief Crowley had the guts and the courage to speak out. But her honesty cost her her job.”
Bass Supporters Say Crowley Was Insubordinate
Bass allies, however, framed Crowley’s ouster as necessary for public safety, citing rising reports of discriminationand complaints of mismanagement under her leadership.
The Los Angeles City Stentorians, a group representing Black firefighters, issued a letter supporting Bass’s decision, saying Crowley had failed to address “discriminatory hiring practices” and accountability issues.
Some of Bass’s backers racialized the debate, accusing Crowley’s allies of targeting the city’s first Black female mayor.
Sylvia Castillo, a former aide to Bass in Congress, called Crowley’s fight for reinstatement a “public lynching” of the mayor.
Benjamin Torres, president of CD Tech, claimed this would never happen to a white male mayor, saying, “This is a political move to cut off Black leadership.”
Council Members Split Over Due Process
Councilmember Traci Park, who represents Pacific Palisades, warned against firing Crowley without a full review, noting that no official after-action reports have been completed.
“We don’t have the facts yet,” Park said. “We don’t have the reports, we don’t have the evidence.”
She suggested that multiple city departments could share the blame for failures in fire response, including:
- A lack of firefighters on duty.
- A lack of working fire hydrants in key areas.
- A disorganized evacuation process that endangered residents.
“If we need to fire people who were responsible across departments, I have no problem with that,” she said. “But not without a full review.”
Crowley’s Defense: Lack of Resources, Not Incompetence
Crowley rejected the idea that she failed to prepare for the fire, arguing that her department was crippled by years of budget cuts.
She explained that:
- Deploying 1,000 additional firefighters was impossible because the city lacked enough fire trucks and ambulances—many were broken down in maintenance yards due to budget cuts.
- The LAFD does not have the resources to conduct its own after-action report, so she supported an independent state review instead.
A Political Flashpoint for Bass
Tuesday’s council hearing exposed deep divisions at City Hall, with some accusing Bass of political retaliation and others arguing that Crowley was insubordinate.
Councilmember Monica Rodriguez warned that firing Crowley would send the wrong message to other city officials:
“This tells city employees that it’s safer to stay silent than to call out what’s wrong,” she said.
Bass Declares Victory
Bass’s spokesperson, Zach Seidl, celebrated the vote as a win for the mayor’s leadership.
“After testimony confirming she sent firefighters home on January 7th, her appeal was rejected by a 13-2 vote,”Seidl said. “This is a matter of public safety.”
The City Council rarely overturns firings of high-ranking officials, with the last major case being the ouster of former LAPD Chief Bernard Parks in 2002—a decision that also divided the city along racial and political lines.
With the battle now settled, Crowley has been demoted to a lower-level position, while Bass moves forward with selecting a new fire chief.
But for many in L.A., questions remain about the city’s fire preparedness, its underfunded first responders, and whether this was truly about performance—or politics.
