LA officials have been warned of budget cuts to the fire department ahead of the deadly fires
Los Angeles’ budget priorities are being scrutinized for cuts to the city’s fire department ahead of devastating fires, and few people have raised the alarm early. (IFX)
A top priority in the Los Angeles budget continues to be cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), after several people warned officials ahead of the ongoing wildfires in Southern California that cutting the department could have dire consequences.
Mayor Karen Bass cut the fire department’s budget by more than $17 million last year, a move that drew widespread criticism after a series of fires broke out in the area earlier this month, resulting in untold property losses and more than two dozen deaths.
Mayor Karen Bass cut the LAFD budget by $17 million last year. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/Getty Images)
In May of last year, LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley warned, “We’re at that critical point where firefighters can no longer do more with less.”
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Crowley went on the record asking for funding to hire more firefighters. The data shows that the LAFD is woefully understaffed compared to other major cities, with less than one firefighter per 1,000 residents. The recommended rate is 2.5 firefighters per 1,000 residents.
A plume of smoke is seen as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California, on Jan. 7, 2025. (David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The king also asked to hire mechanics in the department as a number of machines remain idle. Then last month, LA city council member Traci Park noted, “We have a million dollar machine sitting in the yard with no mechanics to fix it.”
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As FOX News reported, while next year’s budget calls for mechanics and replacement vehicles, the LAFD wants an additional $5 million for EV charging stations and nearly $2 million for a “diversity and inclusion program.”
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., weighed in as Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom was criticized for their response to the wildfires and gave his opinion in the debate about the SALT cap.
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Perhaps the most dire warning came last month from Freddy Escobar, president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City union, who told the council a few weeks before the fire, “If we cut one position, if we close one station, if we close one service. , the citizens of Los Angeles they will pay a great sacrifice and someone will die.”
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