In an unprecedented move, former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has appealed Mayor Karen Bass’s decision to dismiss her over her handling of the catastrophic wildfire that devastated much of Pacific Palisades. The appeal, which requires the approval of 10 out of 15 City Council members, is unlikely to succeed but will almost certainly intensify the political turmoil for Bass, who has struggled to regain her political footing since the Palisades fire erupted on Jan. 7.

Less than a week after Bass ousted Crowley, the former chief criticized the then-chief for not fully pre-deploying engines amid dire wind forecasts and for allegedly refusing to participate in an after-action report on the fire. In an email to City Council members, Crowley cited the section of the City Charter that allows her to seek reinstatement but did not provide any arguments to support her position.

Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl acknowledged Crowley’s right to appeal, stating, “Crowley has the right to appeal her dismissal.”

City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, a staunch ally of the mayor, initially attempted to fast-track the process, scheduling a special council meeting to decide Crowley’s fate at 5 p.m. on Friday in Van Nuys. This move would have given the public only 24 hours notice and coincided with the start of the weekend, a tactic that was quickly denounced as “outrageous” by the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112, a strong supporter of Crowley. The union argued that the council was trying to “bury this issue when nobody is watching and holding them accountable.”

Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who has been pushing for Crowley’s reinstatement, also spoke out, saying Harris-Dawson scheduled the meeting for a day she knew she had an excused absence. Harris-Dawson had signed off on that absence months ago, she said.

“He wants to shut us down,” Rodriguez said. “He wants to shut down public participation and transparency.”

Harris-Dawson later rescheduled the appeal vote for Tuesday, citing the need for all parties to be present and prepared. “While it is in the best interest of the City to hear this matter expeditiously, it is important to allow the appellant, interested parties, and Councilmembers to be present and prepared for the meeting,” he said in a statement.

Regardless of the timing, Crowley will face an uphill climb to get the 10 votes needed to regain her job. Four council members, including Harris-Dawson, stood behind Bass at a news conference last Friday as she announced her decision to remove Crowley. Additionally, Councilmember Bob Blumenfield supported the mayor’s right to hire and fire department heads, stating, “She needs to have the full confidence of her general managers and her chiefs. If she has lost that confidence, she has every right to change out the head of a department” or the fire chief.

Blumenfield also expressed concern over Crowley’s decision to appear on multiple news shows on Jan. 10 to complain that her department was underfunded while the Palisades fire was still burning out of control. Councilmember Traci Park, an outspoken Crowley supporter whose district includes the Pacific Palisades burn area, said she could not predict how she would vote if Crowley were to appeal, stating, “I was not there when the mayor had whatever conversations that led to this decision. I don’t know what information or evidence may come to light.”

Fernando Guerra, a political science professor and director of the Center for the Study of L.A. at Loyola Marymount University, noted that council members will face competing pressures. On one hand, the politically powerful firefighters union, which regularly donates to council members, is backing Crowley and has major clout at City Hall. But crossing the mayor so emphatically could also have repercussions for their political careers and their ability to advance their own legislative agendas.

Bass, too, could be damaged by the public airing of her dispute with her former fire chief. “There is nothing good about this being litigated in public for Mayor Bass,” Guerra said. “However, what will soften and mitigate that is the fact that the [former] fire chief will probably lose the appeal.”

The City Charter gives the mayor the power to remove most department heads, including the fire chief, without council approval. The charter also gives Crowley the right to appeal the decision to the council, with a two-thirds vote required to reinstate her. The City Council has 10 “meeting days,” or days when the council is scheduled to meet, to take up Crowley’s filing, per the charter.

Before Bass dismissed Crowley last week, the mayor and her team told reporters that the chief hadn’t reached out to warn Bass about the potential severity of the winds before the mayor left for Ghana on Jan. 4. In announcing Crowley’s removal, Bass questioned her deployment decisions ahead of the fire and blamed her for sending home firefighters who could have stayed on for a second shift.

The mayor also alleged that Crowley had refused to participate in an after-action report on the fires after being asked to do so by Fire Commission President Genethia Hudley Hayes, a Bass appointee. A Times investigation found that Los Angeles Fire Department officials chose not to order roughly 1,000 firefighters to remain on duty for a second shift as the winds were building. Fire officials also declined to put all available engines in the field ahead of the windstorm.

The department only started calling up more firefighters and deploying additional engines after the Palisades blaze was burning out of control. By comparison, a similar wind forecast in 2011 prompted a much more robust response from the department, according to former fire chiefs.

Although Crowley has defended her pre-deployment decisions, she has not yet addressed the allegation that she declined to do the after-action report. In a statement last week, she said she based her “actions and decisions on taking care of our firefighters so that they could take care of our communities.”

Bass’ decision to remove Crowley has been sharply criticized by the firefighters union in recent days. Union President Freddy Escobar said the mayor should have waited for the results of an outside state review that’s already underway. Escobar praised Crowley for speaking out about the size of the Fire Department’s budget and the need for greater resources.

She’s being terminated for telling the truth, he said last week.

Freddy Escobar

This controversy highlights the broader issue of resource allocation and preparedness in urban firefighting. The Palisades fire has raised questions about the adequacy of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s budget and its readiness to handle extreme weather events. The fire, which was exacerbated by high winds and dry conditions, underscores the need for proactive measures and better coordination between city officials and emergency services.

In the wake of this crisis, local residents and firefighter unions are calling for a thorough review of the city’s emergency response protocols. They argue that the Palisades fire was a wake-up call for the city, highlighting the need for better pre-deployment strategies and more robust communication between city officials and emergency responders.

The political fallout from this decision could have far-reaching implications for both Mayor Bass and the City Council. The public airing of this dispute could erode trust in city leadership and complicate future decision-making processes. As the appeal moves forward, all eyes will be on the City Council to see how they navigate this complex and contentious issue.