Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass removed Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, citing failures in the department’s response to the devastating Palisades wildfire.
Bass appointed former LAFD Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva, a 41-year LAFD veteran, as interim chief while the city launches a search for Crowley’s permanent replacement, according to an emailed statement from her office on Friday.
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Bass said Crowley’s dismissal stemmed from key lapses, including sending home 1,000 firefighters on the morning the Palisades fire broke out and refusing to conduct an “after action report.”
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