The city of Los Angeles is asking a judge to dismiss the first of two lawsuits filed by former Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley, who was ousted by Mayor Karen Bass in the aftermath of the deadly 2025 Palisades Fire and has sued the city over her termination.
In her Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit filed Feb. 20, Crowley alleges retaliation in violation of the Labor Code and retaliation in violation of the state Constitution. In court papers filed Friday with Judge Kristin S. Escalante in advance of a Dec. 11 hearing, the city’s attorneys deny that Crowley was a whistleblower as her suit contends.
”(Crowley) has not stated a free-speech claim,” the city’s attorneys state in their pleadings. “By plaintiff’s own account, she held a high-level policymaking position requiring her to exercise substantial authority over matters of public safety and to represent LAFD before the city’s elected officials and the public.”
Because Crowley held the position of chief, the city is permitted to take her speech into account as part of the decision to remove her as chief without violating the state constitution, the city’s lawyers contend in their court papers.
Crowley did not disclose a violation of law or refuse to participate in unlawful activity and her amended complaint details the plaintiffs advocacy on behalf of LAFD and disagreements with the mayor, neither of which are legal violations or instructions to perform an unlawful activity
Crowley was removed as LAFD chief by Bass on Feb. 21, 2025, although Crowley is still with the LAFD as an assistant chief in the Valley Bureau.
Bass accused Crowley of leadership failures during the January 2025 windstorm that led to the deadly Palisades Fire, and also accused the former fire chief of refusing to prepare an after-action report on the firefight. The mayor also accused Crowley of failing to deploy 1,000 firefighters who “could have been on duty” the morning the fire erupted. Bass also contended in interviews that Crowley failed to inform her of the fire danger presented by forecasted Santa Ana winds — despite those warnings being widely publicized by the National Weather Service and in media reports for days in advance.
Crowley’s lawsuit, however, lays blame for the fire at the feet of the mayor and city leaders. She claims the city historically failed to properly fund the LAFD, leaving the agency under-manned and backlogged in the maintenance of vehicles and other equipment.
“Crowley brings this case based on the actions of Mayor Karen Bass, who orchestrated a campaign of retaliation to conceal the extent to which Bass undermined public safety and transparency,” according to Crowley’s lawsuit.
The suit contends Crowley submitted “numerous detailed reports” annually to city leaders, including Bass, complaining of aging infrastructure, shrinking staff and rising emergency calls that demanded attention.
“Despite these warnings, and despite Crowley’s request for an increased budget to address these issues, Mayor Bass and her administration cut the LAFD’s operating budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 by $17.6 million and eliminated positions critical to maintaining fire engines, trucks, and ambulances,” according to the suit.
The lawsuit also slams Bass’ decision to leave the country in the days prior to the severe Santa Ana wind event for a diplomatic trip to Ghana — a trip she took without notifying Crowley.
In response to the suit, Bass’ senior adviser Yusef Robb previously issued a statement saying, “There is nothing new here. Ms. Crowley was removed from her post for her failure to deploy in advance and her decision to send 1,000 firefighters home instead of keeping them on duty on the morning the fires broke out. This lawsuit has no merit.”
Crowley filed a second lawsuit against Bass in June, this time for defamation. Crowley in 2025 appealed her removal as chief to the City Council, but the council stood behind Bass, rejecting the appeal in a 13-2 vote.
The Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres, killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of structures.