Kristin Crowley has appealed her termination as LAFD chief to the Los Angeles City Council after she was dismissed from the position nearly a week ago by Mayor Karen Bass.
Under the city charter, Crowley would need the support of 10 of the council’s 15 members to be reinstated as chief.
That bar could be a tough one to meet. Four council members stood with Bass when she announced the firing on Friday at City Hall. Another member publicly announced support Tuesday.
“Today I notified the City Council of my appeal as provided for in Los Angeles Charter, Article V, Section 5.08(e), due to Mayor Bass’s removal of me, on February 21, 2025, from the position of Fire Chief of the Los Angeles City Fire Department,” Crowley said in a statement.
Crowley remains with the department at a lower rank.
Asked about Crowley’s decision Thursday, Bass spokesman Zach Seidl said, “Former Chief Crowley has the right to appeal her dismissal.”
Bass announced Crowley’s firing Friday more than a month after the start of the deadly January wildfires in Los Angeles County. The firing was not discussed during Tuesday’s council meeting and was not on the agenda, but some members of the council spoke about the mayor’s decision outside council chambers.
“There is a crisis of confidence in city government, and I see it every day with my constituents,” said Councilmember Traci Park, whose district includes Pacific Palisades. “It was not well thought out and has resulted in division on the council when we should be focused on the recovery.”
Park had called for Crowley to appeal the decision, as had council member Monica Rodriguez, of the San Fernando Valley.
“The council needs to look at why she was fired and the cause,” Rodriguez said Tuesday.
Council President Marqueece Harris Dawson, who was among the members standing behind the mayor during Friday’s announcement, said he supports her decision. Councilmembers Curren Price, Hugo Soto-Martinez and Adrin Nazarian also stood by Bass at the City Hall news conference.
NBC4’s Conan Nolan speaks with investigative reporter Eric Leonard about Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ bombshell of an announcement in firing LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley. Plus, LA City councilmember Monica Rodriguez explains why she does not support Crowley’s firing.
In a phone interview with City News Service, Harris-Dawson said the firing was a “solemn and sad moment.”
“We’re council members, so we don’t agree on everything,” Harris-Dawson told CNS. “I will say, I was one who was encouraging the mayor to separate with the chief weeks ago.
“I was unable to convince the mayor of that, and there are other people who thought the mayor and the fire chief should stay on indefinitely. There are definitely differences of opinion based on where we sit in the work.”
Councilman Bob Blumenfield voiced support Tuesday for Bass’ move.
“The mayor needs to have confidence in the fire chief and has the right to replace her if that confidence no longer exists,” Blumenfield said.
Bass cited failures in leadership ahead of the January windstorm that fanned the Palisades and Eaton fires.
The back-and-forth between the mayor and chief began in the days after the fires started on Jan. 7, when Bass was on an overseas trip, and intensified with Bass’ claims that Crowley did not warn her in advance about the high winds that fanned the Palisades and Eaton wildfires. The windstorm was widely expected and publicized days in advance of when the fires started in Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
In a statement to NBC4 last week, the LAFD said the department followed all standard preparation procedures.
“Prior to the Palisades Fire, the LAFD emailed two separate media advisories, conducted multiple live and recorded media interviews about the predicted extreme fire weather, and notified City Officials about the upcoming weather event,” the agency said.
Crowley, elevated to Los Angeles fire chief in 2022 at a time of turmoil in a department consumed by complaints of rampant hazing, harassment and discrimination among its 3,400-member ranks, criticized the city for budget cuts that she said have made it harder for firefighters to do their jobs. Bass has said that the budget cuts did not have an impact on the LAFD’s response to the wildfires.
One the complaints the mayor identified in firing Crowley was that she refused to provide an after-action probe, requested by the city’s civilian fire commission, into the fire response.
Park said the chief wanted an investigation from outside City Hall.
“The fire department shouldn’t be investigating itself,” Park said. “Nor should a city commission of political appointees.”
Former Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva, a 41-year LAFD veteran, was announced as interim fire chief.
Crowley has been with the LAFD for about 25 years, working her way up through the ranks of the department as a firefighter, paramedic, engineer, fire inspector, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief, deputy chief and chief deputy before earning the top job.
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