Kristin Crowley, the former chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department, is appealing her dismissal by Mayor Karen Bass, who blamed her for inadequate wildfire preparations during a devastating fire in Pacific Palisades. Crowley informed the City Council of her appeal, but it likely won’t succeed without support from at least ten of the fifteen council members. Mayor Bass publicly acknowledged her own mistake in leaving the country before the wildfires, asserting Crowley failed to provide adequate warnings. Meanwhile, city firefighters’ union leaders argue that Crowley was unfairly scapegoated for challenges exacerbated by budget constraints and the fire’s severity.
On Thursday, the former chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department filed an appeal against her dismissal, just days after Mayor Karen Bass attributed her removal to a lack of preparedness amid a devastating wildfire in the Pacific Palisades area.
Kristin Crowley, the ousted chief, communicated her decision to appeal in a letter to the Los Angeles City Council. “I look forward to hearing from you regarding any next steps,” she stated on Thursday.
Zach Seidl, a spokesperson for the mayor, acknowledged that Ms. Crowley has the right to contest her dismissal.
However, the chances of a successful appeal appear slim. The City Charter stipulates that two-thirds of the City Council, or 10 out of 15 members, must support the appeal for Ms. Crowley to be reinstated. At least four council members, including the council president, expressed support for Mayor Bass during her announcement of Ms. Crowley’s replacement last week.
Mayor Bass publicly admitted that she regretted leaving the country for Ghana mere days before the wildfires started in early January. She privately confided to friends for weeks that she would have stayed if she had been properly briefed on the extent of the threat.
The mayor has accused Ms. Crowley of failing to provide an adequate warning, a claim the former chief disputes. According to Ms. Crowley, several alerts about the hazardous conditions were issued by weather forecasters prior to the mayor’s trip abroad.
The dismissal followed weeks of escalating tension, with veteran fire officials asserting that Ms. Crowley’s response was less aggressive and experienced compared to previous high-risk fire situations. Ms. Crowley argued that the department was underfunded, a point denied by the mayor and city budget officials.
Upon Ms. Crowley’s removal, the mayor indicated that she would remain within the Fire Department, with a position to be determined by the new interim chief. At the time, Ms. Crowley appeared willing to accept this arrangement.
However, leaders of the city firefighters’ union later voiced their opposition to her removal, claiming that Ms. Crowley was being used as a scapegoat for a catastrophic fire fueled by hurricane-force winds, which would have been disastrous regardless, along with ongoing budget issues attributable to City Hall.
Ms. Crowley was appointed by the previous mayor, Eric Garcetti. Traditionally, the City Council has deferred to the mayor’s authority to select new general managers.