A Los Angeles City Council divided over the Mayor Karen Bass' decision to fire LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley met for the first time since the dismissal.
Kristin Crowley's firing was not part of the Tuesday council meeting, but some members shared their thoughts about the ouster outside council chambers.A Los Angeles City Council divided over the Mayor Karen Bass ' decision to fire LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley met for the first time Tuesday since the dismissal was announced.
in Los Angeles County. The firing was not discussed during Tuesday's meeting and was not on the agenda, but some members of the council spoke about the mayor's decision outside council chambers."There is a crisis of confidence in city government, and I see it every day with my constituents," said Councilmember Traci Park, whose district includes Pacific Palisades."It was not well thought out and has resulted in division on the council when we should be focused on the recovery."can appeal her firing to the 15-member city council. Park has called for her to do that, as has council member Monica Rodriguez, of the San Fernando Valley.Crowley has not said publicly whether she plans to pursue that avenue back to the top LAFD job. Approval would require a supermajority from the council. The mayor's office released a statement later Friday, indicating that Crowley will remain with the department at a lower rank. Council President Marqueece Harris Dawson, who was standing behind the mayor during Friday's announcement, said he supports her decision. Councilmembers Curren Price, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Adrin Nazarian also stood by Bass at the City Hall news conference. NBC4’s Conan Nolan speaks with investigative reporter Eric Leonard about Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ bombshell of an announcement in firing LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley. Plus, LA City councilmember Monica Rodriguez explains why she does not support Crowley’s firing. In a phone interview with City News Service, Harris-Dawson said the firing was a"solemn and sad moment." "We're council members, so we don't agree on everything," Harris-Dawson told CNS."I will say, I 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. There are definitely differences of opinion based on where we sit in the work.""The mayor needs to have confidence in the fire chief and has the right to replace her if that confidence no longer exists," Blumenfield said. Bass cited failures in leadership ahead of the January windstorm that fanned the Palisades and Eaton fires. The back-and-forth between the mayor and chief began in the days after the fires started on Jan. 7, when Bass was on an, and intensified with Bass' claims that Crowley did not warn her in advance about the high winds that fanned the Palisades and Eaton wildfires. The windstorm wasIn a statement to NBC4 last week, the LAFD said the department followed all standard preparation procedures. "Prior to the Palisades Fire, the LAFD emailed two separate media advisories, conducted multiple live and recorded media interviews about the predicted extreme fire weather, and notified City Officials about the upcoming weather event," the agency said. Crowley, elevated to Los Angeles fire chief in 2022 at a time of turmoil in a department consumed by complaints of rampant hazing, harassment and discrimination among its 3,400-member ranks, criticized the city for budget cuts that she said have made it harder for firefighters to do their jobs. Bass has said that the budget cuts did not have an impact on the LAFD’s response to the wildfires. One the complaints the mayor identified in firing Crowley was that she refused to provide an after-action probe, requested by the city's civilian fire commission, into the fire response."The fire department shouldn’t be investigating itself," Park said."Nor should a city commission of political appointees."Crowley has been with the LAFD for about 25 years, working her way up through the ranks of the department as a firefighter, paramedic, engineer, fire inspector, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, deputy chief and chief deputy before earning the top job.
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