Amid the turmoil over budget cuts affecting the Los Angeles Fire Department, at least thousands of firefighters are struggling five firesABC News reviewed city budgets and other publicly available documents for the city.
In May 2024, the City of Los Angeles approved the 2024-2025 budget, which reduced fire department funding by $17.6 million from the previous year.
At the time, the city of Los Angeles was negotiating a union contract with the firefighters union, United Firefighters of Los Angeles City.
A firefighter pours water on a burning house in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 10, 2025, after the Palisades fire.
Mike Blake/Reuters
On November 5, the City Council voted to approve a union contract for 2024-2028. A report sent to the City Council a day earlier explained the fiscal impact of the contract and indicated that it would cost 76 million dollars in 2024. 2025 event. This included increased wages and benefits for union members.
On December 17, 2024, the LA Fire Commission sent a report to Mayor Karen Bass about Fire Chief Kristin Crowley. In it, Crowley noted that the department is “facing unprecedented operational challenges due to the elimination of critical civilian positions and a $7 million reduction” in overtime.
A firefighter pours water on a burning house in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, January 10, 2025, after the Palisades fire.
Mike Blake/Reuters
With the approval of the new contract, the fire department’s budget for fiscal year 2024 – 2025 has increased from $819.6 million to $895.6 million. Compared to the previous year’s budget (year 2023 – 2024), this year’s fire department budget is a total of $58.4 million higher. According to a document from the city administration manager, the increase in this year’s budget was specifically approved to meet the salary and benefit increases included in the new union contract.
In this aerial view taken from a helicopter, burned homes are seen from above during the Palisades fire in Malibu, Los Angeles County, California on January 9, 2025.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images
In an interview with a local FOX station Friday, Crowley responded that after being repeatedly asked if the city had failed him and his department, he said “yes,” echoing a letter he sent to the mayor from December.
“My number one priority has been and will be, getting our firefighters what they need to serve the community. That’s number one. I’m going to tone down any kind of criticism because every decision I make is going to be based on what my firefighters need,” Crowley said.
At least 11 people are believed to be dead — the Los Angeles County sheriff said he expects the number to rise — as devastating wildfires swept across Southern California amid dry and windy conditions. The largest fire, the Palisades Fire, in the Pacific Palisades. , has burned more than 22,000 hectares, destroyed thousands of structures and is 11% contained. The Eaton Fire, Altadena, is currently over 14,000 acres and 15% contained. More than 150,000 people are under evacuation orders.
