Mayor Karen Bass Thursday attempted to fend off criticism related to allegations of a budget cut for the Los Angeles Fire Department as part of overall reductions stemming from a city deficit.
According to a December memo from LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley, the department’s operating budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year was $819 million, a decrease of about 2% from the $837 million the department received in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
“(LAFD) is facing unprecedented operational challenges due to the elimination of critical civilian positions and a $7 million reduction in Overtime Variable Staffing Hours,” the memo reads. “These budgetary reductions have adversely affected the department’s ability to maintain core operations, such as technology and communication infrastructure, payroll processing, training, fire prevention and community education.”
A spokesperson for City Councilman Bob Blumenfield’s office, who was the chair of the council’s Budget Committee during deliberations over the 2024-25 budget, told the Daily News the city increased the fire department’s overall budget by approximately $53 million, with $76 million intended to pay for sworn personnel placed in a fund separate from the fire department’s regular account when the budget was adopted because contract negotiations with the union representing department employees were still taking place at the time.
Bass told reporters at a morning news conference there were no reductions that were made that “would have impacted the situation that we were dealing with over the last couple of days.”
According to City Controller Kenneth Mejia’s office, as part of the reduction in the department’s operating budget, 61 civilian positions were eliminated, of which three were “resolution positions,” meaning they were specific to projects with limited duration or funding.
In November 2024, the City Council and Bass approved a $203 million contract with the union representing the Fire Department’s sworn personnel. Members of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles such as firefighters, fire captains, apparatus operators, engineers and helicopter pilots received an annual 3% increase to their base wages, which will total 12% by the 2027-28 fiscal year.
They also received a 5% annual increase to their health benefits.
According to a city report, the agreement cost about $76 million for the 2024-25 fiscal year and is expected to cost $39.4 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year, $45.4 million for the 2026-27 and fiscal year and $42.2 million for the 2027-28 fiscal year.
In anticipation of the contract, funding was set aside during the 2024-25 fiscal year budget process.
Bass drew questions from reporters at the morning news conference about the city’s initial response to the Palisades Fire, as well as concerns over water pressure and available resources to that area.
“We have to save lives and we have to save homes,” Bass said. “Rest assured when that is done, when we are safe, when lives have been saved and homes have been saved, we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, what didn’t work, and to correct or to hold accountable any body, department, individuals, etc.”
There were concerns firefighters had limited to no resources in Pacific Palisades, as well issues with water coming out of fire hydrants.
Bass said she was frustrated with the limited resources. She explained that fire hydrants are not constructed to deal with this type of massive devastation happening in the Palisades.
“The No. 1 problem, especially on Wednesday, was the fact that we did not have air support because of the winds,” Bass said.
She noted that with winds subsiding firefighters began water drops.
“As winds change, our resources change, we redistribute and we move,” Bass said. “That’s the dynamic situation that we are in — even in day three.”
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power CEO Janisse Quiñones previously said there were three water tanks where firefighters fought the Palisades Fire, but due to demands it drained resources.
Firefighters also dealt with low water pressure at higher elevations — an issue Quiñones said the department is working to solve.
She noted that about 200 of the approximately 1,000 fire hydrants in Pacific Palisades were without water.