Bass replaces Los Angeles fire chief over Palisades Fire mistakes

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday removed Kristin Crowley from her position as fire chief.

Recently retired Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva, a 41-year LAFD veteran, will serve as interim fire chief, Bass announced.

“Acting in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I have removed Kristin Crowley as fire chief,” 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. 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. The chief refused. These require her removal.”

Crowley issued a statement Saturday.

“As a humble public servant for over the past 30 years, 25 of those with the LAFD, it has been an absolute honor to represent and lead the men and women of one of the greatest fire departments in the world,” Crowley said. “As the Fire Chief, I based my actions and decisions on taking care of our firefighters so that they could take care of our communities. Serving others before self, having the courage and integrity to do what is right, and leading with compassion, love and respect have guided me throughout my career. I am extremely proud of the work, sacrifice and dedication of our LAFD members, both sworn and civilian.”

In January the then-chief defended the LAFD’s response to the Palisades Fire.

“We deployed resources in very, very calculated ways throughout the city,” Crowley told reporters. “We’re very system and process-oriented, for the right reasons. We follow a system. We did that. We pre-deployed the necessary resources … not knowing where a fire might break out in the city.”

Bass said her office will conduct a national search, and the mayor “will speak directly with firefighters and Angelenos about what they want to see in their next permanent Chief.”

She added, “The heroism of our firefighters — during the Palisades Fire and every single day — is without question. Bringing new leadership to the fire department is what our city needs.” 

Bass has received criticism over the handling of the wildfire, which erupted when the mayor was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana. Bass decided to travel despite warnings from weather forecasters of severe wind and low-humidity, fire-hazard conditions.

Critics have also questioned why, despite the hazardous conditions, a key water reservoir was out of service for repairs. That caused a reduction in water pressure in parts of Pacific Palisades, leading to concerns about out-of-service fire hydrants citywide.

Tension between Bass and Crowley increased when the mayor returned from her overseas trip. Crowley publicly criticized the city’s funding of the fire department, which prompted a closed-door meeting between the two. However, no punitive actions were taken against the chief at that time.

Crowley’s firing drew criticism from LA City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez.

“Chief Crowley remains the most qualified member of the Los Angeles City Fire Department that earned her well deserved appointment as fire chief,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “I am outraged by the scapegoating revealed by the mayor’s actions. I plan to use my authority as a council member to set the record straight and encourage Chief Crowley to appeal the mayor’s baseless termination to the City Council. The public deserves a full account of every single leadership failure that has taken place.”

Businessman Rick Caruso, who unsuccessfully ran for mayor against Bass in 2022, also blasted the firing, as did union representatives.

“It is very disappointing that Mayor Bass has decided to fire Chief Kristin Crowley,” Caruso said in a social media post. “Chief Crowley served Los Angeles well and spoke honestly about the severe and profoundly ill-conceived budget cuts the Bass administration made to the LAFD. That courage to speak the truth was brave, and I admire her. Honesty in a high city official should not be a firing offense. The mayor’s decision to ignore the warnings and leave the city was hers alone. This is a time for city leaders to take responsibility for their actions and their decisions. We need real leadership, not more blame passing.”

A statement from United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 said, “Crowley is a strong leader who has the respect of our firefighters and wasn’t afraid to tell the truth. She’s being made a scapegoat from a devastating fire without the benefit of a full investigation into what actually happened.

“The reality is our fire department has been understaffed and under resourced for years — including during (Bass’) time in office,” the statement continued. “The LAFD did have operational budget cuts in this fiscal year, including cuts to overtime, brush clearance, and civilian positions. In fact, we still have nearly 100 broken down fire engines, trucks, and ambulances in the maintenance yard because of civilian mechanic job cuts. This is a city that has neglected its fire department and can’t even pay our firefighters correctly for the work that we perform every single day.

“Our firefighters did their job during the Palisades Fire against enormous obstacles. Not enough firefighters, not enough working rigs, broken down fire hydrants and a water supply that ran dry. All of this occurred, yet the fire chief is being singled out,” union officials said.

City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez issued brief statements in support of the interim chief, and Councilman Adrin Nazarian said he agreed with the decision to axe Crowley.

“Accountability, protocol and proper preparation are paramount during any emergency situation, most especially one of the magnitude we just experienced,” Nazarian said in a statement. “I thank Chief Crowley for her commitment, dedication and service to the LAFD, and I stand by Mayor Karen Bass in her decision to remove Chief Crowley effective immediately. I look forward to working with Interim Chief Villanueva while continuing our road to recovery and building back a stronger, more resilient Los Angeles.”

On Tuesday Harris-Dawson told City News Service that he “was one who was encouraging the mayor to separate with the chief weeks ago.

“I was unable to convince the mayor of that, and there are other people who thought the mayor and the fire chief should stay on indefinitely,” Harris-Dawson added. “There are definitely differences of opinion.”

The council president also said he thought Crowley demonstrated “incredibly poor judgment” when she said publicly that the city “failed” the department through a lack of resources and a reduction in its operational budget. Some city officials have countered that the fire department received more funding when the 2024-25 budget was adopted.

“While firefighters were out fighting fires, facing fires, you’re in the comfort of your office doing an interview with a news outlet that you know to be antagonistic toward the mayor and several of the council,” Harris-Dawson told CNS. “I thought that demonstration of poor judgment was enough to warrant separation. The mayor didn’t agree with me.”

Maryam Zar, chair emeritus of the Pacific Palisades Community Council, said in a statement, “It is not lost on anyone that any move that’s made after the fact does not change the devastation. 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.”

The Palisades Fire caused at least 12 deaths, burned 23,448 acres, destroyed over 6,800 structures and damaged 1,017. The firestorm erupted Jan. 7 during extremely fast Santa Ana winds, and its cause remains under investigation.

Crowley, a 25-year LAFD veteran, became the department’s first female and LGBTQ chief on March 25, 2022. She served as a firefighter, paramedic, engineer, fire inspector, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, deputy chief and chief deputy before Bass appointed her to the top job.

According to the department, she was commander of Battalion 13 in South LA and Battalion 6 in San Pedro and worked in the agency’s Professional Standards Division, Fire Prevention and Public Safety Bureau and Administrative Operations.

Crowley also directed youth fire academies in the city’s Harbor and Valley regions. The program teaches firefighting fundamentals to high school students.

Crowley also was a board member for the Chief Officers’ Association and The Women in Fire Service.

The ex-chief invoked her civil service right to remain with the LAFD at a lower rank, the mayor’s office reported. Interim Chief Villanueva will be responsible for assigning her duties.

Villanueva retired seven months ago, according to Bass’ office. His last position was chief deputy of emergency operations, and he has decades of experience in fire suppression, emergency management and managing thousands of operational and support personnel in a variety of positions within the department. Prior to joining the department’s executive staff, Villanueva spent 24 years as a firefighter in the field.

The fire department has approximately 3,400 sworn positions and 350 civilian personnel.

Updated Feb. 25, 10:14 a.m.