Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Christine Crowley began the appeal process following Mayor Karen Bass' decision to fire him a week ago.
Her appeal came after Bass' decision attracted criticism from city councillors and the public, saying that it was “misinuating the facts.”
Crawley announced his appeal to city council members Thursday.
“I choose to proceed with the council appeal provided by Los Angeles Charter, Section 5, Section 5.08(e) as Mayor of Bus removed me from his position as fire chief at the Los Angeles City Fire Department on February 21, 2025,” read Crawley's memo. “I look forward to hearing from you if there is a next step.”
Bass announced that he had fired Crowley after the devastating Palisade fire last month and appointed former Chief Deputy Deputy Director, a 41-year LAFD veteran, as interim fire chief. She said it was Los Angeles' greatest benefit.
“As we acted in the best interests of public safety in Los Angeles, and for the Los Angeles Fire Department activities, I deleted Christine Crawley as the fire chief. We know that the 1,000 firefighters who could have been on duty in the morning were sent home instead on Chief Crawley's watch. Furthermore, the necessary step into the investigation was to be the chairman of the fire committee and to tell Secretary Crowley to make a later action report on the fire. The chief refused. These require her removal. Our firefighter heroism is unquestionable for every day and with the Palisade fire. Bringing new leadership to the fire department is what our city needs.”
Council President Marquis Harris Dawson added an appeal to the agenda hours after Crowley's announcement to be discussed at the special council meeting at 5pm on Friday.
United Firefighters at Los Angeles City Local 112 are unions representing city firefighters and are Crowley supporters, and have only 24-hour notices on Facebook posts at a “special meeting” to hear about the charm of Crowley Chiefs.
“This is an example of why citizens don't trust the constant mistakes they've seen city leaders since the fire broke out on January 7th. It's not transparent, fair or just. Another public error that comes out of City Hall, where people in Los Angeles continue to question the motivations and credibility of our city leaders,” Post said.
The union went on to say that they believe the reason she was fired is being manufactured, and that in reality, Crawley was fired for telling the truth.
“Our rank and file firefighters on the ground are strong supporters of Chief Crawley. They know the truth, we have her back and we fight for her right to set the record straight,” they said.
“This is the first city council meeting that we are aware of is scheduled for Friday at 5pm 24 hours notice. It's clear that some city councils are trying to fill this issue when no one is looking. Council members need to ask themselves whether this is the way we want to determine the fate of our fire chief. What's going on is wrong and everyone knows it.”
Crawley's appeal would require at least 10 of the 15 members to vote. It remains unclear how the vote will progress when four councillors stood behind base during the press conference as she announced her decision to remove Crowley.
Councillor Bob Blumenfield believes that is the mayor's right to hire and fire anyone she wants.
“She needs to have full confidence in her general manager and her chief. If she loses that confidence, she has all the rights to change the head of the department or fire chief,” he said earlier this week.
The Los Angeles City Charter allows the mayor to remove most department heads, including fire chiefs, without council approval.
The Charter also gives fired employees the right to appeal the council with a decision that has the potential for recovery.
The city council will have a 10-day meeting to act on Crawley's submission, according to the charter.
