US EditionOusted Fire Chief Was A Victim Of 'Scapegoating' By Mayor Bass After Wildfires, Lawsuit Claims
Kristin Crowley alleges retaliation and misinformation by Mayor Karen Bass after raising concerns about underfunding and understaffing during the Palisades Fire, which destroyed nearly 7,000 homes.
- On Wednesday, former Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley filed a tort claim accusing Mayor Karen Bass of an "orchestrated campaign of misinformation, defamation, and retaliation," demanding retractions, a public apology, and damages exceeding $25,000.
- Earlier this year, Crowley warned that the Los Angeles Fire Department was underfunded and understaffed, citing a $17.6 million operating budget cut linked to retaliation after she publicized it.
- The Palisades Fire killed 12 people and destroyed nearly 7,000 homes, and the claim disputes that Crowley sent home 1,000 firefighters or left 40 engines idle, citing The Times found only five staffed.
- On March 4, the Los Angeles City Council voted 13-2 to shelve Crowley's appeal, following Bass firing her on Feb. 21 and allegations of California labor laws and First Amendment violations.
- Alleging scapegoating, the filing ties Mayor Karen Bass's Ghana trip on Jan. 7 to shifting blame to Crowley amid scrutiny of Los Angeles officials' wildfire preparedness and resource shortfalls.
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37 Articles
Kristin Crowley, former fire chief, exposed in her lawsuit a pattern of dishonesty and search for scapegoats in her dismissal after the January fires
Legal claim by ex-Los Angeles fire chief alleges mayor orchestrated smear campaign after her ouster
LOS ANGELES (AP) The former Los Angeles fire chief filed a legal claim Wednesday against the city, alleging that her ouster by Mayor Karen Bass was followed by an orchestrated effort to smear her conduct and decision-making during the most destructive wildfire in LA history.Former Chief Kristin Crowley's dismissal a month after January's Palisades Fire was followed by finger-pointing between her and City Hall over the blaze's devastation and the…
Ousted LA fire chief claims Bass ran a misinformation campaign, defamed her to save herself
LOS ANGELES — The former Los Angeles fire chief filed a legal claim against the city Wednesday, alleging that Mayor Karen Bass "orchestrated a campaign of misinformation, defamation, and retaliation" to protect her political image after the most destructive wildfire…
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