Los Angeles is embroiled in a legal battle as former Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has filed a bombshell lawsuit against the city. Her claim? She alleges her abrupt firing was a calculated effort to shield Mayor Karen Bass from accountability for the devastating January 2025 Palisades Fire – one of LA’s most destructive blazes ever.
Crowley was dismissed just a month after the inferno, sparking a public feud between her and City Hall over the fire’s aftermath and the fire department’s funding. According to the lawsuit, Mayor Bass actively spread misinformation to protect her political standing. Crowley claims Bass falsely stated she wasn’t aware of critical wildfire warnings, wrongly denied LAFD budget cuts, and inaccurately suggested 1,000 more firefighters could have been deployed. These weren’t slip-ups, the lawsuit argues, but a deliberate strategy to deflect blame from the Mayor’s decisions, especially given she was out of the country on a presidential delegation when the fire started.
The Mayor’s office hasn’t commented, but Bass previously stated she later learned about the potential for more firefighters and that Crowley allegedly refused to prepare a crucial fire report. Crowley’s legal filing disputes both these assertions.
The Palisades Fire, which began in heavy winds, tragically destroyed nearly 8,000 homes and businesses and claimed at least 12 lives. This lawsuit isn’t just about a job; it’s about who bears responsibility for a major tragedy and the political fallout that followed. Crowley is seeking unspecified damages, setting the stage for a tense legal battle in the heart of LA.
