LA officials were warned about budget cuts to the fire department before deadly fires.
Los Angeles’ budget priorities are scrutinizing cuts to the city’s fire department ahead of devastating fires, and many people have raised the alarm early. (Fox)
Los Angeles’ budget priorities continue to draw scrutiny over cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), after many people warned officials earlier The ongoing wildfires of Southern California Cutting the department can have disastrous results.
Mayor Karen Bass cut the fire department’s budget by more than $17 million last year, a move that drew widespread criticism after several fires earlier this month caused untold property damage and more than two dozen deaths.
Mayor Karen Bass cut the LAFD’s budget by $17 million last year. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/Getty Images)
In May of last year, LAFD Chief Christine Crowley warned, “We’re at a breaking point where firefighters can’t do anything less.”
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Crowley went on the record asking for funding to hire more firefighters. The data shows that the LAFD is severely understaffed compared to other major cities, with fewer than one firefighter per 1,000 residents. The recommended level is 2.5 firefighters per 1,000 residents.
Smoke is seen as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7, 2025. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Several pieces of equipment were sitting idle, so the chief asked for mechanics to be hired in the department. Then, just last month, LA City Council member Tracy Park said, “They have millions of dollars sitting in their backyards with no mechanics.”
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According to FOX News, while next year’s budget calls for more mechanics and replacement vehicles, the LAFD wants an additional $5 million for EV charging stations and nearly $2 million for a “diversity and inclusion plan.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom respond to the wildfires and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., debates the SALT cap.
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Perhaps the most dire warning came last month, when Freddy Escobar, president of the United Firefighters Union of Los Angeles, told the council weeks before the fire that “if we cut one place, if we close one station, if we close one source, residents . los angeles They make the ultimate sacrifice and someone dies.”
