Mayor Karen Bass fired Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley Friday, foisting blame on her for what the mayor called failures in leadership stemming from the January windstorm that led to the deadly wildfire that ravaged Pacific Palisades.
Bass appointed former Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva, a 41-year LAFD veteran, as interim fire chief.
Bass was scheduled to hold a late-morning news conference to discuss her decision.
In a written statement, however, the mayor said she fired Crowley “in the best interests” of L.A.’s public safety and the operations of the L.A. Fire Department.
The move came after recent interviews in which Bass blamed Crowley for not informing her of the extreme Santa Ana winds and dangerous fire conditions that resulted in the devastating Palisades Fire on Jan. 7 — despite those warnings being widely publicized by the National Weather Service and in media reports for days in advance.
“Acting in the best interests of Los Angeles’ public safety, and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department, I have removed Kristin Crowley as fire chief,” Bass said in a statement. “We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch. Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the president of the Fire Commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after-action report on the fires. The chief refused. These require her removal.
“The heroism of our firefighters — during the Palisades Fire and every single day — is without question. Bringing new leadership to the Fire Department is what our city needs.”
Bass has faced a barrage of criticism over the handling of the wildfire, in particular because the mayor went on a diplomatic trip to Ghana days before the fires erupted despite the warnings about anticipated severe wind and fire-danger conditions. In interviews this week, Bass said she would normally receive a call from the fire chief about the approach of severe fire conditions, but did not receive any such notification in January.
Questions have also been raised about a key water reservoir that was out of service for repairs, leading to a drop in water pressure in portions of Pacific Palisades, and concerns about inoperable fire hydrants across the city.
Tensions with Crowley increased upon Bass’ return to the city when Crowley made public comments critical of the city’s funding of the LAFD. That led to a one-on-one closed door meeting between the pair, but no punitive actions were taken against Crowley at the time.
Villanueva is expected to lead the LAFD while the mayor’s office leads a national search and engages with residents to what they’d like in their next fire chief.
The interim chief retired seven months ago, but he is ready to hit the ground running, according to Bass’ office.
Villanueva retired from the Fire Department as chief deputy of emergency operations, and has decades of experience in fire suppression, emergency management, and the management of thousands of operational and support members of the LAFD in various positions at the department.
Before becoming a chief officer, Villanueva spent 24 years in the field at active assignments.
The mayor’s decision to oust Crowley was met with quick criticism from local businessman Rick Caruso, who ran for mayor but lost to Bass.
“It is very disappointing that Mayor Bass has decided to fire Chief Kristin Crowley,” Caruso said. “Chief Crowley served Los Angeles well and spoke honestly about the severe and profoundly ill-conceived budget cuts the Bass administration made to the LAFD. That courage to speak the truth was brave, and I admire her. Honesty in a high city official should not be a firing offense. The mayor’s decision to ignore the warnings and leave the city was hers alone. This is a time for city leaders to take responsibility for their actions and their decisions. We need real leadership, not more blame passing.”
The Palisades Fire burned 23,448 acres, destroyed more than 6,800 structures and damaged 1,017 others. At least 12 people died in the fire.
Crowley, who has been with the LAFD for about 25 years, took over as chief on March 25, 2002, making her the agency’s first female and LGBTQ chief. She worked her way up through the ranks of the department, serving as a firefighter, paramedic, engineer, fire inspector, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, deputy chief and chief deputy before earning the top job.
According to her official biography, she served as commander of Battalion 13 in South Los Angeles and Battalion 6 in San Pedro, and also worked in the agency’s Professional Standards Division, Fire Prevention and Public Safety Bureau and Administrative Operations.
She also directed youth fire academies in the Harbor and Valley areas, a program that trains local high school students on the fundamentals of becoming a firefighter.
Crowley also served as an executive board member for the Chief Officers’ Association and The Women in Fire Service.
The LAFD has roughly 3,400 sworn positions and 350 civilian posts.