Los Angeles mayor ousts fire chief for response to deadly fires
Six weeks after the most destructive wildfire in city history, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ousted the city's fire chief Friday amid a public rift over preparations for a potential fire and finger-pointing between the chief and City Hall over responsibility for the devastation.
Bass said in a statement that she is removing Chief Kristin Crowley immediately.
"Bringing new leadership to the Fire Department is what our city needs," Bass said in a statement.
"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 disclosed. She added that the chief refused a request to prepare an "after-action report" on the fires, which she called a necessary step in the investigation.
The Palisades Fire began during heavy winds Jan. 7, destroying or damaging nearly 8,000 homes, businesses and other structures and killing at least 12 people in the Los Angeles neighborhood.
Another wind-whipped fire started the same day in suburban Altadena, a community to the east, killing at least 17 people and destroying or damaging more than 10,000 homes and other buildings.
Bass has been facing criticism for being in Africa as part of a presidential delegation on the day the fires started, even though weather reports had warned of dangerous fire conditions in the days before she left.
In televised interviews this week, Bass acknowledged she made a mistake by leaving the city. But she inferred she wasn't aware of the looming danger when she flew around the globe to attend the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama. She faulted Crowley for failing to alert her to the potentially explosive fire conditions.
Crowley has publicly criticized the city for budget cuts that she said made it harder for firefighters to do their jobs.
Crowley was named fire chief in 2022 by Bass' predecessor at a time when the department was in turmoil over allegations of rampant harassment, hazing and discrimination. She worked for the city fire department for more than 25 years and held nearly every role, including fire marshal, engineer and battalion chief.
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Voice of America
21-02-2025
- Voice of America
Los Angeles mayor ousts fire chief for response to deadly fires
Six weeks after the most destructive wildfire in city history, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass ousted the city's fire chief Friday amid a public rift over preparations for a potential fire and finger-pointing between the chief and City Hall over responsibility for the devastation. Bass said in a statement that she is removing Chief Kristin Crowley immediately. "Bringing new leadership to the Fire Department is what our city needs," Bass said in a statement. "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 disclosed. She added that the chief refused a request to prepare an "after-action report" on the fires, which she called a necessary step in the investigation. The Palisades Fire began during heavy winds Jan. 7, destroying or damaging nearly 8,000 homes, businesses and other structures and killing at least 12 people in the Los Angeles neighborhood. Another wind-whipped fire started the same day in suburban Altadena, a community to the east, killing at least 17 people and destroying or damaging more than 10,000 homes and other buildings. Bass has been facing criticism for being in Africa as part of a presidential delegation on the day the fires started, even though weather reports had warned of dangerous fire conditions in the days before she left. In televised interviews this week, Bass acknowledged she made a mistake by leaving the city. But she inferred she wasn't aware of the looming danger when she flew around the globe to attend the inauguration of Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama. She faulted Crowley for failing to alert her to the potentially explosive fire conditions. Crowley has publicly criticized the city for budget cuts that she said made it harder for firefighters to do their jobs. Crowley was named fire chief in 2022 by Bass' predecessor at a time when the department was in turmoil over allegations of rampant harassment, hazing and discrimination. She worked for the city fire department for more than 25 years and held nearly every role, including fire marshal, engineer and battalion chief.
Voice of America
21-02-2025
- Voice of America
Judge cancels New York City mayor's trial, keeps corruption charges intact
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Facing backlash over $500K salary, LA's wildfire recovery czar agrees to work for free
Steve Soboroff, a longtime fixture in Los Angeles civic life who is now serving as chief recovery officer for the city's wildfire comeback, won't take a salary after facing backlash over plans to pay him $500,000. He would have been paid through charitable donations, not with taxpayer money. Soboroff had defended the proposed salary of half-a-million dollars for three months of work, saying his expertise as a residential property developer made him worth the price. But after criticisms mounted from elected officials and residents, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass reversed course over the weekend and said Soboroff would receive no compensation. Soboroff is the city's former police commissioner. 'Steve is always there for LA. I spoke to him today and asked him to modify his agreement and work for free. He said yes. We agree that we don't need anything distracting from the recovery work we're doing," Bass said in a statement Saturday. She had named him to the recovery czar position on Jan. 17. A message seeking comment was left for Soboroff on Monday. Soboroff, 76, raised his family in the Pacific Palisades area, where nearly 7,000 homes were destroyed by last month's inferno. His son, NBC News journalist Jacob Soboroff, reported from the devastated neighborhood where he grew up. He was initially tasked with leading the first phase of the city's wildfire rebuilding effort. On Friday though, Bass suggested that the scope of his work could be diminished, saying he would focus primarily on rebuilding the Palisades' historic business district. Soboroff disputed that notion, saying he is regularly interacting with federal agencies. In addition to developing thousands of homes over decades, Soboroff served on the city's Board of Police Commissioners and on the city commission that oversees the Department of Recreation and Parks — both volunteer positions. Before the salary reversal, he told the Los Angeles Times that he put aside other real estate and environmental consulting work to take on the role of the city's recovery officer. 'I've been doing this for 35 years for free on some of the biggest civic projects for the city of Los Angeles. But nobody ever asked me to drop everything. This time they did,' Soboroff said. 'And I said OK, under the condition that my pay not be taken out of city money, or from any wildfire survivors who would otherwise benefit from that money.' It wasn't clear which charitable organizations would have covered his pay. Los Angeles City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who sits on the committee overseeing the recovery, called the proposed salary 'obscene.' Soboroff's original salary was first reported by the Times.
