Allegations Against Mayor Bass Involving Palisades Fire
A former Los Angeles fire chief has accused Democratic Mayor Karen Bass of orchestrating a campaign to shift blame for the 2025 Palisades fire onto her. Kristen Crowley, who used to lead the Los Angeles Fire Department, filed a legal claim against Bass on Wednesday, bringing forth new allegations of retaliation.
The devastating Palisades fire, which ignited in January 2025, resulted in the deaths of 12 individuals and incited significant criticism directed at city leaders, including both Bass and Crowley. Just a month after the incident, Mayor Bass announced Crowley’s dismissal, citing her failure to dispatch firefighters to Pacific Palisades and Altadena, where a second deadly fire took place.
Crowley contends that Bass attributed the catastrophic event to her, despite Bass being out of the country during the fire and facing intense scrutiny at that time. According to a statement from Crowley’s legal team, Bass fired her not due to any negligence, but because Crowley “told the truth.”
The statement emphasized, “This allegation reveals a pattern of fraud, scapegoating, and unlawful retaliation that tarnished the career of a dedicated public servant. It wasn’t a failure in her duty but a consequence of her honesty.” It further argued that Fire Chief Crowley did her job and had informed city leadership that budget cuts and neglect had left the Los Angeles Fire Department underfunded and ill-equipped for the growing demands of fire safety, especially in an area prone to wildfires. Rather than addressing these pressing issues, the claim asserts, Mayor Bass retaliated.
Additionally, accusations suggest that before terminating Crowley, Bass disregarded numerous warnings regarding a $17.6 million budget cut for the fire department and issues with equipment, apparently to “avoid liability.”
“Bass shifted blame while trying to evade responsibility, and these claims conflict with public records and her past statements,” the legal claim states.
A senior adviser to Mayor Bass responded to the suit, asserting that it lacks “merit,” stating, “There’s nothing new here. Ms. Crowley was dismissed for her failure to pre-deploy and for sending 1,000 firefighters home instead of having them available during the fire.” Yusef Robb, senior counsel for Bass, reiterated that the lawsuit lacks substance.
Prior to Crowley’s dismissal, Mayor Bass had praised her efforts during the fire disaster. However, in February 2025, she altered her stance, alleging that Crowley had not dispatched 1,000 firefighters when both fires broke out.
Crowley attempted to appeal her termination to the Los Angeles City Council, which voted 13-2 to uphold her dismissal in March. By August 2025, she filed her first lawsuit against the city and Bass, accusing them of defamation and retaliation.
In this latest legal claim, Crowley seeks “an immediate retraction of all false and defamatory statements,” a formal public apology, and an end to ongoing retaliation.
This lawsuit emerged shortly after a report indicated that Bass had “carefully orchestrated” the city’s public relations strategy concerning the disaster, including the issuance of an after-action report. Bass has denied these allegations.
