Bass Cans Fire Chief, Alleging Leadership Failure In Palisades Fire

LOS ANGELES, CA — Mayor Karen Bass fired Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley Friday, blaming the city's top firefighter for 'failures in leadership' amid the Palisades Fire that destroyed thousands of homes and claimed a dozen lives.

The two most prominent figures in the firefighting effort have been trading blame for the catastrophe since the early days of the fire, with Crowley sending the first salvo, accusing the mayor of letting the fire department down by cutting funds. Bass waited until this week to publicly put the blame for the firefighting failures at her chief's feet. The move paved the way for Crowley's termination.

Bass appointed former Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva, a 41-year LAFD veteran as interim fire chief.

Bass was scheduled to hold a late-morning news conference to discuss her decision. In her announcement, the mayor said she fired Crowley "in the best interests" of L.A.'s public safety and the operations of the L.A. Fire Department.

The move came after recent interviews in which Bass blamed Crowley for not informing her of the extreme winds and dangerous fire conditions that resulted in the devastating Palisades Fire on Jan. 7. Those interviews also highlighted tensions between Bass and Crowley, as well as challenges with County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and other officials leading efforts to recover from the fire emergencies.

"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.

"Furthermore, 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," she added. "The Chief (Crowley) refused. These require her removal."

She added that bringing new leadership to the Fire Department is what "our city needs."

The Los Angeles Times found that the fire department did not assign roughly 1,000 available firefighters for emergency deployment or line up dozens of water-carrying engines even as the National Weather Service warned of the worst Santa Ana windstorm in a generation.

An emergency deployment would have doubled the number of firefighters on hand. Only five of more than 40 available engines were lined up to aid in battling wildfires, The Times found.

The chaotic early hours of the fire and the destructive toll of the blaze, caused widespread pain and suffering in the city. Recriminations about the handling of the fire were instantaneous, even as the blaze continued to rage. Both Crowley and Bass faced calls to resign.

Bass' post on X Friday announcing Crowley's termination was met with vitriol from her detractors.

While the fire department did not release a statement in response to the firing Friday morning, members of the firefighters union praised Crowley for speaking out against budget cuts at the time of the fire.

“Crowley is being made a scapegoat, and she’s being terminated for telling the truth,” Freddy Escobar, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 told the Los Angeles Times.

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez slammed the decision to fire Crowley and accused the mayor of trying to deflect blame for her own botched handling of the fire. Rodriguez said she would seek to overturn the decision.

Others at City Hall were quick to praise the decision.

"Chief Villanueva's more than 40 years of experience come at a critical time for the City of Los Angeles," said Los Angeles City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson. "I support the Mayor's decision and have full confidence in his abilities as we work to move the city forward."

Though public response within the fire department was muted, outside the department, fire officials heaped praised upon in the new interim chief.

"I have had the honor of calling Chief Ronnie Villanueva a friend and fire service partner for over a decade," said Jon O’Brien, Chief Deputy of Emergency Operations, County of Los Angeles Fire Department. "In that time I have found him to be a true professional committed to both the communities he is sworn to serve and his firefighters. He is a leader who has risen through the ranks and knows what it takes to get the job done."

Some in the community saw the announcement as an acknowledgment of the missteps made when the fire broke out.

“It is not lost on anyone that any move that’s made after the fact does not change the devastation," said Maryam Zar, Chair Emeritus, Pacific Palisades Community Council. "People’s lives have been upturned and the recovery ahead will be long. But an acknowledgment that major missteps were made and that accountability is the cornerstone of the public trust is important, and this is a good step in that direction.”

Villanueva is expected to lead the LAFD while the mayor's office leads a national search and engages with residents to what they'd like in their next fire chief.

The interim chief retired seven months ago, but he is ready to hit the ground running, according to Bass' office.

Villanueva retired from the Fire Department as chief deputy of emergency operations, and has decades of experience in fire suppression, emergency management, and the management of thousands of operational and support members of the LAFD in various positions at the department.

Before becoming a chief officer, Villanueva spent 24 years in the field at active assignments.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.