Leaked memo reveals LA Mayor Karen Bass demanded her fire department cut an extra $49 million just ONE WEEK before wildfires broke out
SUMMARY
A leaked memo reveals that Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass demanded an additional $49 million in cuts from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) budget just days before catastrophic wildfires ravaged the city. These cuts were on top of $17.6 million already slashed in her latest budget, which Chief Kristin Crowley warned had “severely limited the department's capacity” to prepare for and respond to emergencies. The proposed cuts, outlined in a January 6th memo, could have led to the closure of 16 fire stations—one per City Council district—and the loss of 750 personnel, crippling the department’s response capacity. The fires have scorched over 54 square miles, destroyed more than 4,000 structures, and caused at least 10 deaths. Damages are estimated at $49 billion. Amid the crisis, Bass was widely criticized for attending Ghana’s presidential inauguration instead of staying to address the emergency.
