Former LA fire chief sues Mayor Bass, claims the mayor threw her under bus to shift fire blame

Former Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley has launched a lawsuit against the city and Mayor Karen Bass over her demotion in the wake of January’s devastating wildfires, accusing Bass of engaging in a "smear campaign" against her to "divert scrutiny" from Bass' absence as the fires broke out. Crowley is seeking over $25,000 in damages. 

The court filing stated that Crowley "demands that Bass immediately cease and desist her defamatory and illegal public smear campaign of Crowley, retract her false statements about Crowley, and apologize for lying about Crowley."

The suit stated, "Kristin Crowley, a 25-year veteran of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), has filed a tort claim alleging that Mayor Karen Bass orchestrated a campaign of misinformation, defamation, and retaliation to protect her political image while concealing the extent to which she undermined public safety."

Bass removed Crowley from her role as Fire Chief in February. Bass claimed at the time, "We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley's watch. Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the President of the Fire Commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after-action report on the fires. The Chief refused. These require her removal. The heroism of our firefighters - during the Palisades fire and every single day - is without question. Bringing new leadership to the Fire Department is what our city needs." At the time the fires broke out, Bass was in Ghana.

The suit stated that Bass had initially "praised the department’s preparedness" for the fires, "but as criticism mounted over her absence, Bass reversed course. She sought to shift blame to Crowley, falsely stating that Bass was not aware of the nationally anticipated weather event, that Crowley sent 1,000 firefighters home who could have fought the blaze, and misrepresenting the department’s budget — claims contradicted by public records and Bass’ own prior statements."

"Crowley alleges that these false statements were not mistakes but part of a deliberate strategy to scapegoat a career firefighter and divert scrutiny from the Mayor’s decisions," the 23-page filing continued. "After Crowley confirmed publicly that budget cuts had weakened the department’s readiness, Bass retaliated. Within weeks, Crowley was removed as Chief, replaced, and accused of refusing to conduct an after-action report — another false claim and one Bass never raised with Crowley."

Counsel to Mayor Bass, David Michaelson, told Fox News, "We will not comment on an ongoing personnel claim. Mayor Bass is focused on the city's preparations for the hottest temperatures of the year and the potential for regional fire danger."

Kristin Crowley Tort Claim by Hannah Nightingale