L.A. Mayor Karen Bass Demanded Fire Department Cut Budget By $48.8 Million Just One Day Before Wildfires Started, Memo Shows 

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been under fire for her performance during the epic wildfires that have burned whole parts of her city. Prior to the current wildfire crisis, the mayor had cut the Los Angeles Fire Department’s budget by $17.6 million, even after she was warned that cuts would harm their ability to operate effectively.

However, in a leaked Jan. 6 memo, Bass demanded further cuts to the LAFD’s budget by $48.8 million—just a day before the wildfires began on Tuesday.

The department’s leadership was shocked by the proposal. “The reduction… has severely limited the department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley said in a Dec. 4 memo in 2024, showing the effects of Bass’ budget cut.

The Jan. 6 memo stated, “The only way to provide a cost savings would be to close as many as 16 fire stations (not resources, fire stations); this equates to at least one fire station per City Council District.”

Shutting down so many stations would have led to the firing of hundreds of employees.

The fires have destroyed several neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, causing thousands of structures to be decimated and forcing over 180,000 residents to evacuate. Eleven people have died due to the ongoing fires.

The most destructive fire in the Palisades area has burned over 20,000 acres of land, and firefighters have only been able to contain 8% of the fire. The total economic cost of the fires is now over $49 billion across the affected areas. None of the fires have been completely contained, but the Lidia Fire has been 75% contained.

Bass has also been scrutinized for leaving the city to fly to Ghana for President John Dramani Mahama‘s inauguration, returning Wednesday to a frightened city and an ashy orange sky.

When Bass was asked for a response on the poor government response to the disaster as she returned to her city, she refused to answer.

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