Former Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley has filed a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles, launching a new and explosive chapter in the political fallout surrounding the Palisades Fire.
The suit, announced Tuesday, sharply criticizes Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and accuses her of orchestrating what it describes as “a campaign of retaliation to conceal the extent to which Bass undermined public safety and transparency.”
Crowley, who was removed as LAFD chief on Feb. 21, 2025, claims she was made a scapegoat in the aftermath of the wildfire, which drew intense scrutiny over the city’s emergency preparedness and response. Though she was ousted from the department’s top post, she remains with the LAFD as an assistant chief in the Valley Bureau.
In the weeks following the blaze, Bass initially supported Crowley’s leadership. But that support quickly turned into public criticism. The mayor ultimately accused Crowley of failing to predeploy firefighters ahead of the fire and of sending home 1,000 firefighters who “could have been on duty” the morning the fire erupted.
Crowley forcefully rejected that claim at the time, arguing that budget constraints and policy decisions left the department stretched thin. In her lawsuit, she alleges that Bass falsely claimed she was unaware of the nationally anticipated weather event that heightened fire risk. The suit also disputes the mayor’s assertion that the LAFD budget was not cut and challenges the claim that existing resources could have supported an additional 1,000 firefighters.
According to the complaint, those statements are contradicted by public records and Bass’ own prior remarks.
Crowley has long maintained that the department’s vulnerability was exacerbated by financial decisions at City Hall. She previously accused the mayor of cutting more than $17 million from the fire department’s budget — a figure that became a flashpoint in the public feud between the two leaders.
“Public servants should not face punishment or be silenced for telling the truth about public or firefighter safety and on matters of public importance,” Crowley’s attorney said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.
The legal filing argues that Crowley was retaliated against for speaking out about operational and safety concerns, framing her removal as political retribution rather than a performance-based decision.
Bass’ office swiftly pushed back, calling the lawsuit “meritless.” In a statement, senior advisor Yusef Robb said, “There is nothing new here. Ms. Crowley was removed from her post for her failure to predeploy and her decision to send 1,000 firefighters home instead of keeping them on duty on the morning the fires broke out.”
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the pending litigation.
Crowley previously appealed her dismissal to the Los Angeles City Council, hoping to overturn Bass’ decision. But in a decisive 13-2 vote, councilmembers stood behind the mayor, rejecting her appeal and cementing her removal as chief.
Now, the dispute has moved from City Hall to the courtroom.
The lawsuit not only revives questions about the city’s wildfire preparedness but also intensifies scrutiny of how public officials assign blame when disaster strikes. With both sides accusing the other of misleading the public, the case threatens to reopen wounds from one of Los Angeles’ most politically charged fire seasons in recent memory.
