LA council member explains why she was 1 of 2 to vote in support of fired LAFD chief
Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley lost her appeal Tuesday afternoon to the City Council to be reinstated at the helm of the LAFD. After the 25-year- veteran made her case during an 11-minute long speech, two Los Angeles City Council members opted to speak out in favor of rehiring her, including Councilmember Monica Rodriguez.
Crowley needed 10 of 15 city council members to vote in favor. She received just two in a 13-2 final vote.
Rodriguez spoke with NBCLA Wednesday morning on “Today in LA” to discuss what motivated her oppose Mayor Karen Bass’ decision. Citing leadership failures during the LA wildfires, Bass dismissed Crowley Feb. 21.
“One of the challenges you have to recognize going into this is that the mayor and the general managers need to have a constructive working relationship, and that’s clearly been fractured,” Rodriguez said. “But I think it was really important for the facts to be revealed. What I had a big problem with was, what was cited for the rationale behind it, and that to me was really unfortunate because I didn’t believe the chief was deserving of having her career and all of her accomplishments, really misrepresented.”
Crowley and Mayor Karen Bass have publicly feuded since Jan. 10 when the two met to discuss budget cuts during the fires. Just two days later Crowley publicly critiqued funding cuts, the first of several clashes between the two.
Requests for additional funding from both Crowley and IAFF Local-112 union date back months prior to the start of the fires.
During her speech Tuesday Crowley referenced the cuts yet again, stating the department did not have enough money to repair 100 fire engines and ambulances sitting in maintenance yards.
She also refuted the claim she sent 1,000 firefighters home the morning of the fires, saying “we did not have enough apparatus to put them on.”
Rodriguez said prior to Crowley’s removal, she had been in close contact with the chief for the hiring of wildland hand crews, as well as mechanics and sheet metal workers to keep the cited faulty equipment in working order.
The council member was recently appointed as chair to the Los Angeles Government Efficiency, Innovation, and Audits Committee, emphasizing better understanding what the direct outcomes are associated with taxpayer dollars, including the fire response.
“All of my colleagues have an obligation to really dig deeper, especially as we’re going into these very critical fiscal times that are incredibly difficult, now exacerbated by the fires… I think every single individual on this council has an opportunity to be held accountable for what their roles are in either being more transparent, or less so,” Rodriguez said.
Despite the result, Rodriguez said she’ll continue to be “unapologetically” herself.
“I’m very comfortable in my own skin, this isn’t the first time I’ve ruffled feathers by going against the crowd, but, you know, I focus on doing my job for my constituents,” she said.
“If individuals attempt to obstruct my ability to serve my constituents, well, I’ve got a very loud voice and unapologetically me, so I’m happy to communicate it as loud and wide as possible if people are engaging in some type of political retribution.”
Councilmember Traci Park, whose district includes Pacific Palisades, was the only other reinstatement vote.
Crowley has exercised her right to remain with the LAFD at a lower rank. Her new working title is Assistant Chief of LAFD’s Operations Valley Bureau.
The mayor’s office issued a statement after the hearing.
“After testimony by the former Chief confirming she sent firefighters home on the morning of January 7th and that she would not move forward with an internal after action report, her appeal was rejected 13-2 by members of the City Council,” Zach Seidl, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office, said after the council vote. “This is an issue of public safety and for the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department – the City of Los Angeles is moving forward.”