Mayor Bass pins blame for Palisades blaze on fire chief, dismisses her
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Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Sunday. I’m your host, Andrew J. Campa. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:
- Los Angeles mayor sacks top fire official.
- Newsom asks for nearly $40 billion for L.A. wildfire relief.
- At least 20 L.A. County probation officers face criminal indictment.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper.
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Bass sends Crowley packing
Generally, bombshell news is dumped on Friday evenings.
City Hall bucked that trend Friday morning, when Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass dismissed Fire Chief Kristin Crowley because of her handling of the devastating Palisades fire.
Both leaders have come under intense scrutiny from outsiders while also pointing fingers at each other.
My colleagues Dakota Smith, Julia Wick, David Zahniser and Tony Barboza broke down the drama and what it means for the city.
What led to Bass’ action?
Bass took that step after complaining that she had not heard from the chief until after the fire broke out, while also questioning the chief’s deployment decisions.
“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 Friday.
The mayor also alleged that the chief refused to participate in an after-action report on the fires after being asked to do so by Fire Commission President Genethia Hudley Hayes, a Bass appointee.
Crowley’s action during the fire’s breakout
A Times investigation found that LAFD officials chose not to order roughly 1,000 firefighters to remain on duty for a second shift as winds were building. That order would have doubled personnel when the Palisades fire broke out the morning of Jan. 7.
Fire officials staffed just five of more than 40 engines available to aid in battling wildfires, The Times found.
Another Times investigation found that the LAFD could have sent at least 10 additional engines to the Palisades before the fire — engines that could have been on patrol along the hillsides and canyons and potentially put out the fire when it was still small.
Several former LAFD chief officers told The Times that keeping the firefighters on duty would have enabled the department to send dozens of extra engines to the Palisades and other high-risk areas.
And firefighters not assigned to the additional engines would have been available for other tasks.
Fire chief has her defenders
Crowley’s dismissal drew immediate backlash from the firefighters union, whose leaders supported her last month when she spoke out about needing more city resources.
“Crowley is being made a scapegoat, and she’s being terminated for telling the truth,” said Freddy Escobar, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112.
Escobar disputed Bass’ rationale for firing Crowley, saying that an outside investigation into the fire is already underway. He also asserted that the department lacked a sufficient number of trucks and engines for the 1,000 firefighters who were sent home hours before the fire started.
Beginning of the conflict
On Jan. 10, while the flames were still raging out of control, Crowley gave an extraordinary television interview, telling a Fox 11 reporter that the city of Los Angeles — and by implication her boss, Bass — failed her and her department.
She went on to describe her agency as understaffed and underfunded, calling the situation “no longer sustainable.”
Later that day, Crowley had equally strong words for CNN’s Jake Tapper, telling him the Fire Department lacks enough mechanics to repair broken-down emergency vehicles.
When Tapper asked whether the city’s budget cuts affected her agency’s ability to fight the wildfires, she responded: “I want to be very, very clear. Yes.”
Hours later, Crowley was summoned to the mayor’s office. The closed-door meeting went so long that Bass did not show up for her own late-afternoon wildfire emergency news conference.
Gone, but not gone?
Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, whose northeast San Fernando Valley district has experienced major hillside fires in recent years, also slammed Bass’ decision. She said she plans to use her authority as a council member to “set the record straight” — while seeking to overturn Crowley’s dismissal through a City Council vote.
Such a strategy required a two-thirds majority on the 15-member council — tough, but not impossible.
Rodriguez accused Bass of removing Crowley to deflect criticism for being in Ghana when the fire erupted, destroying nearly 7,000 homes and other structures and killing at least 12.
Although Crowley has been ousted as chief, she will continue to serve in the Fire Department. The mayor’s office did not immediately respond when asked to clarify the former chief’s current role.
LAFD veteran Ronnie Villanueva will serve as interim chief. He retired seven months ago as chief deputy of emergency operations after 41 years with the department, according to the mayor’s office.
For more on the situation, check out the full article.
The week’s biggest stories
Fire rebuild
- Newsom asks Congress for nearly $40 billion for L.A. wildfire relief.
- Real estate losses from fires top $30 billion, from old mobile homes to $23-million mansions.
- Top Trump aide says conditions on federal aid to L.A. will target California Coastal Commission.
- Protesters, elected officials take action to halt flow of toxic debris to local landfills.
- Scientists urge caution after a carcinogen is detected in water in fire-stricken areas.
Los Angeles fires fallout
- LAFD’s failure to pre-deploy before Palisades fire: A Times investigation.
- Column: Bass fires the L.A. fire chief, but her own smoldering political crisis is far from over.
- L.A. County had a new emergency alert system. Did that hurt west Altadena?
Trump administration plans and actions
- ICE agents may be planning a major operation in L.A. What are your rights?
- Trump administration funding cuts could hamper L.A. River parks projects, lawmaker warns.
- Fresh off meetings with foreign allies, Schiff echoes alarm over Trump-style diplomacy.
Crime, court and policing
- Nude photos of Beverly Hills plastic surgery patients exposed in data hacks, lawsuit alleges.
- L.A. County D.A. Hochman opposes a new trial for Menendez brothers.
- Woman suspected of killing Cal Fire captain was convicted of killing her first spouse.
- ‘Convict me’: Heart-wrenching opening in trial of O.C. judge who fatally shot his wife.
More big stories
- 9th Circuit clears Grindr, dating app for gay men, in child sex trafficking case.
- H5N1 bird flu found in four Southern California rats.
- Man who mowed down students with his car, killing teen outside Westlake High, pleads guilty.
- Voletta Wallace, mother of rapper Notorious B.I.G. and steward of his legacy, dies at 78.
- Mayor of California city proposes ordinance to ban transgender women from women’s bathrooms.
- KCAL journalist Chauncy Glover’s cause of death revealed, ruled an accident.
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Column One
Column One is The Times’ home for narrative and long-form journalism. Here’s a great piece from this week:
When Denisa Hanna opened the text and saw images of the flames and smoke of the Palisades fire advancing from the highlands, she knew she had to cancel rehearsal. She was safe in her home, Mid-City, but the pictures had come from the secretary of Palisades Lutheran Church, who was evacuating. The roads were jammed and the wind was howling. “Please stay safe and say prayers for our friends near this horrible disaster,” Hanna, the president of the Palisades Symphony Orchestra, wrote in an email to its members.
More great reads
- The Original Pantry Cafe owner threatens to close historic diner over union contract dispute.
- Opinion: We may all regret dismantling USAID.
- Opinion: We can still save U.S.-Canada relations — and hockey — from the goons.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].
For your weekend
Going out
- 🍓 “Hacks” star Poppy Liu enjoys more active Sunday Fundays, but always makes time for a smoothie in Highland Park.
- 🍪 Long Beach’s hottest new restaurant is a Filipino vegan bakery with lines down the block.
- ♒ Looking for utter relaxation? Here are 6 of the best head spas in L.A.
- 🐭 14 places in L.A. that every Disney lover must visit at least once.
- 🥧 11 delicious ways to support L.A. wildfire relief this month.
Staying in
- ⚽ Apple’s in-depth, eight-part docuseries “Onside: Major League Soccer,” premiered its first episode Friday on Apple TV+.
- 📕 Author Susan Morrison helps demythify SNL’s Lorne Michaels in her book, “Lorne, the Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live.”
- 🧑🍳 Forget key lime. All you need is 90 minutes for a tasty and tart grapefruit pie. Here’s an easy recipe.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, Sudoku, word search and arcade games.
L.A. Affairs
Get wrapped up in tantalizing stories about dating, relationships and marriage.
Her previous marriage, and the hostile words from ex-husband, left her broken. She felt unloved and feared that her husband had been right to leave her. A friend invited her to a strip club and she found herself dressed in business casual while everyone else was ready for a night of partying. Midway through the evening, however, she started to get into the music and into the movement. She was having a good time, the first in quite a while, and even found herself dancing and flirting. For one night, she felt like her old self.
Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Andrew J. Campa, reporter
Carlos Lozano, news editor
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