Former Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley filed a legal claim Wednesday against the city and Mayor Karen Bass alleging defamation, retaliation and negligence.
Crowley says she was the victim of dishonest scapegoating and illegal retaliation that culminated with her demotion in the aftermath of the January wildfires.
Central to the ex-chief and 25-year public servant’s claim is “Bass orchestrated a campaign of misinformation, defamation, and retaliation to protect her political image while concealing the extent to which she undermined public safety,” according to court documents.
Crowley’s claim demands immediate retraction of all allegedly false and defamatory statements, a public apology and an end to all alleged ongoing reprisals. The claim also calls for unspecified damages in excess of $25,000.
“The citizens of Los Angeles deserve to know the truth about how under-resourced the LAFD has become and how that came to be,” Crowley’s attorney Genie Harrison said in a statement. “Kristin Crowley has put herself on the line yet again, this time to give the citizens of Los Angeles and its firefighters the truth — and the power to create change.”
David Michaelson, counsel to the mayor, said in a statement, “We will not comment on an ongoing personnel claim, Mayor Bass is focused on the city’s preparations for the hottest temperatures of the year and the potential for regional fire danger.”
According to the claim, Crowley did her job by truthfully informing city officials and the public that the mayor’s budget cuts and long-run neglect by officials had left the fire department underfunded, understaffed and ill-equipped to handle the escalating demands of a growing city that is especially at risk for wildfires.
When Crowley publicly confirmed in media reports that Bass cut the LAFD operating budget by $17.6 million, she was targeted and removed from her position, the claim alleges. Bass and her staff also allegedly launched a “smear campaign aimed at discrediting Crowley’s character and decades of service.”
The alleged smear campaign built on “falsehoods” include Crowley’s supposed failure to notify Bass of upcoming wind conditions, that Crowley sent home 1,000 firefighters and that she refused to conduct an after-action report, according to the claim.
In her filing Crowley claims the mayor “made patently false and knowingly dishonest statements, trying to shift the blame to Crowley for Bass’ widely criticized personal decision to travel to Ghana during the highly anticipated weather event leading to the Palisades Fire.”
The ex-chief “alleges that these false statements were not mistakes but part of a deliberate strategy to scapegoat a career firefighter and divert scrutiny from the mayor’s decisions,” her attorneys wrote.
The mayor’s office cited Los Angeles Times reports based on interviews and internal LAFD records that indicated top fire commanders chose not to assign for emergency deployment about 1,000 available firefighters and dozens of water-carrying engines ahead of the Palisades Fire. The LAFD could have sent at least 10 more engines before the fire that could have patrolled along the area’s hillsides and canyons, several former top department officials told the newspaper.
“Several former chiefs with deep experience in LAFD tactics said most of the more than 40 available engines could have been pre-deployed to fire zones before the Palisades blaze started, while others were kept at stations to help with the increase in 911 calls,” according to the mayor’s office, which also pointed out that Crowley needed 10 out of 15 possible votes from the City Council to be reinstated and received two votes following her appeal.
On Tuesday, Bass, LAFD Interim Chief Ronnie Villanueva and other officials announced preparations by city departments intended to “protect Angelenos and keep the city safe ahead of expected high temperatures in the coming days,” according to the mayor’s office. The National Weather Service has issued an Extreme Heat Warning in the Los Angeles region for Thursday through at least Saturday, with temperatures expected to approach 110 degrees in parts of the San Fernando Valley.
Bass’ office posted a list of resources online for staying safe during the heat wave.
A claim is a notice of intent to file a lawsuit.
The deadly Palisades Fire in January consumed more than 23,000 acres, damaged or destroyed nearly 17,000 structures and caused 12 fatalities.
