Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristina Crowley appears to have thrown Mayor Karen Bass under the bus amid rampant Southern California wildfires. The Chief was interviewed by local news media about the contribution, or lack thereof, from the City of Los Angeles to the service of firefighting. Crowley was asked directly of the city failed her or not, and, after a little bit of prodding, the Chief answered “yes.”
This comes on the heels of news that Karen Bass approved cutting at least $17 million dollars from the LAFD budget. There is also the issue of a lack of forest maintenance and a lack of available water for firefighters to use. A nearby large water reservoir was drained and out of commission for an extended period of time to perform routine maintenance that was never done. The fire has taken at least 10 lives and has cost over $50 billion in damages thus far.
