Firefighter union rallies behind LAFD chief, denounces unsigned attack on her performance

The union that represents more than 3,000 Los Angeles city firefighters renewed its support for Fire Chief Kristin Crowley on Friday, denouncing an anonymous letter that accused her of mishandling the response to the massively destructive Palisades fire.

United Firefighters of Los Angeles City Local 112 condemned a letter circulated this week — one that claimed to be from “retired and active LAFD chief officers” but contained no names or signatures — saying Crowley had “failed” the residents of Los Angeles and lost the confidence of Mayor Karen Bass.

The union’s 10-member board of directors said in a one-page letter to Crowley that “disgruntled and anonymous individuals” have been mounting a campaign against her. They also praised Crowley, the department’s first female chief, for being “willing to fight” for her staff and the agency’s budget.

“While we haven’t agreed on everything, you’ve been the only fire chief in decades to repeatedly demand adequate resources,” the union’s letter said.

The forceful endorsement of Crowley was the latest chapter in a back-and-forth that has engulfed the city’s leadership since the outbreak of the Palisades fire, which has destroyed more than 3,500 structures and left at least 10 people dead.

Last week, as the fire continued to burn, Crowley gave television interviews asserting that her department’s response to that emergency was hampered by a $17-million cut to its budget. In one appearance, she said the city of Los Angeles — and by implication, Bass — had failed her and her agency.

The city’s top budget analyst, and some City Council members, pushed back, saying the Fire Department budget is slated to grow by more than 7% once raises for firefighters and vehicle purchases are factored in. Bass herself said that the $17 million in reductions to certain Fire Department operations did not affect the response to the Palisades fire.

In the days that followed, Crowley became the target of an anonymous five-page memo, featuring Fire Department letterhead, that claimed to be from “LAFD Chief Officers” and accused Crowley of “squabbling and pointing the finger of blame” as the Palisades fire continued to rage. No previous L.A. fire chief had behaved in such a way, said the letter, which was dated Monday and has been circulated inside and outside the department.

“Chief, please focus on your current duties and responsibilities which currently should be focused on mitigating and stabilizing the Palisades fire,” the letter said. “Your outburst regarding the budget and the statement that the ‘City failed the LAFD’ was ill-advised, poorly timed and took away from the most important issue, the Palisades fire.”

The unsigned letter faulted Crowley over several other issues, including personnel complaints, city payroll problems and allegations that the agency failed to sufficiently prepare for the fire.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many Fire Department staffers, if any, were involved in writing the letter. On Thursday, the agency’s Chief Officers Assn., which represents dozens of command staff, weighed in with its own letter commending Crowley’s “courageous leadership and advocacy.”

“Your recent action highlighted a truth we all know too well,” said the one-page document, which was signed by union President Robert Nelson. “Our ability to protect and serve depends on proper staffing, resources, equipment and facilities and the data analysis illustrates that the LAFD is less staffed than other major cities.”

Nelson could not be reached for comment about the letter, which was sent Thursday and later provided to The Times by the rank-and-file firefighters union.

Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl, asked about the volley of correspondence for and against Crowley, referred The Times to the mayor’s comments at the city Emergency Operations Center last weekend. Bass, after meeting with Crowley in person, said she and the chief are “focused on fighting these fires” and working in “lockstep.”

Crowley, for her part, said that she has received an outpouring of support in recent days from both current and retired chiefs. The chief also said she has been “digging into” the issues raised in the letter.

“Again, I don’t know who these individuals are, and honestly, it doesn’t matter to me,” she said. “I’m taking that feedback and looking at it.”

The same day the Palisades fire broke out, the Eaton fire tore through the Altadena area, destroying more than 7,100 structures and leaving at least 17 people dead. Altadena is outside the city of Los Angeles and therefore not part of Crowley’s duties.

The criticism of Crowley has not been limited to correspondence. Loyola Marymount University political science professor Fernando Guerra said he viewed Crowley’s media blitz last week — and her claims that the city had failed her agency — as a “fireable offense.”

Crowley broke ranks with other city leaders in the middle of a crisis, just as they needed to project unity, said Guerra, who also runs Loyola Marymount’s Center for the Study of Los Angeles. On top of that, he said, Crowley did so without talking to her bosses first.

“To me, she’s not ready for prime time, in terms of City Hall politics and budget politics,” he said.

Genethia Hudley Hayes, president of the Los Angeles Board of Fire Commissioners, said she too had received the letter attacking Crowley and did not know the names of the people behind it. She said the questions raised by the letter need to be taken up by the commission “one at a time.”

“Do I think it’s fair or not? At this particular point in time, I do not know,” she said. “I’m not going to say whether or not I think these allegations are correct because they are allegations.”

Hudley Hayes, who was appointed by Bass to her post, said she agreed with one passage in the letter that said Crowley had been pointing fingers and should have been focusing on her duties.

“I do believe she should have been concentrating solely on managing the emergency,” she said. “I agree with that. As far as the other allegations that are in that letter, I’m not going to step into that fight with anybody.”