City controller blasts Mayor Bass, city leaders over fire budget cuts: 'Disgraceful'

As deadly wildfires continue to burn in Los Angeles County, City Controller Kenneth Mejia took to social media to blast Mayor Karen Bass and the city leaders who slashed the LA Fire Department’s budget by $17.6 million.

In a series of posts on X, Mejia called it "disgraceful" that city officials are publicly downplaying the budget cuts and their impact on fighting the current firestorms. Mejia didn’t specifically name Bass or other city leaders, but Bass defended the cuts when asked about them at a news briefing last week. 

RELATED: Karen Bass criticized for cutting LAFD budget by $17.6M amid LA County fires

"I think it's most important to understand that we were in tough budgetary times. Everybody knew that," Bass said Thursday. "But that impact of our budget really did not impact what we've been going through over the last few days."

LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley – and now Mejia – have publicly disagreed.

Mayor Bass' office released the following statement in response to Mejia's posts:

 "The Mayor and the Fire Chief are in lock step working together to save lives and protect property," Zach Seidl, deputy mayor of communications, said in a statement. "Courageous firefighters are on the front lines of the firestorm. We hope all of LA’s leaders are focused on quelling this emergency. The Mayor has secured the federal, state, and local resources we need to continue fighting these fires and is moving forward on an all-of-the-above plan for recovery. Visit lacity.gov."

Bass' office also pointed to a Los Angeles Times report that said "the fire department’s operating budget actually grew by more than 7% compared to the prior fiscal year, according to the city’s financial analysts."

Bass has said the cuts were offset by millions of dollars that were allocated to firefighters for raises in November, but Mejia disputes those claims. 

"If these fires happened in August or October, would these same City officials then admit that LAFD's budget got cut in July where 61 civilian support positions were eliminated and sworn payroll and expenses were reduced?" he asked on X. 

RELATED: LAFD: Kristin Crowley not getting fired over Fire Chief's comments on $17.6M budget cut

"We didn't want to get into the City's budget and finances during these times, but to see City officials come out and ignore the Fire Chief's warnings/impacts of the department's budget cuts made us jump in," Mejia’s office said on X. 

LAFD budget cuts ‘not a new problem’

Mejia said Chief Crowley has been sounding the alarm on the budget cuts for months, something Crowley herself acknowledged in an interview with FOX 11 on Friday.

RELATED: LAFD chief says budget cuts hindered response to California fires

"Yes, it was cut and it did impact our ability to provide service," Crowley said in a Friday interview with FOX 11’s Gigi Graciette. "Any budget cut is going to impact our ability to provide service."

"My message is the fire department needs to be properly funded," Crowley added. "It’s not."

Crowley said since 2010, the amount of calls firefighters have responded to has doubled, but there are fewer fire stations now than there were then – and 68 fewer firefighters.

"This isn't a new problem for us," Crowley said. "The fire department needs to be funded appropriately so that I can look any community member in the eye and say your LAFD’s got your back." 

Mayor’s response criticized

Local response has been under scrutiny since the wildfires began raging Tuesday. Bass was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana when the fires erupted. She returned to Los Angeles on Wednesday after her trip ended and has defended her leadership during the crisis. 

RELATED: Mayor Bass responds to backlash over Ghana trip

"Although I wasn’t physically here, I was in touch with many of the individuals standing here throughout the entire time," Bass said Thursday. 

More than 100,000 people have signed a change.org petition calling for Bass to resign

RELATED: 100K+ sign petition demanding LA Mayor Karen Bass resign over fire response

Water supply issues under investigation

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, joins California Governor Gavin Newsom, left, and State Senator Alex Padilla while surveying damage during the Palisades Fire on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, CA. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Gro

According to a report from the LA Times on Friday, the Santa Ynez Reservoir, a 117 million-gallon reservoir in the Pacific Palisades, was closed for repairs when the fire broke out, depriving crews of a vital water resource.

Crowley told FOX 11 the LAFD was not aware that the reservoir was closed ahead of the firefight.

RELATED: Newsom calls for investigation into LA water supply issues during California wildfires

There were also reports of fire hydrants losing water pressure and not working when residents needed them the most. 

RELATED: What caused LA fire hydrants to run out of water?

On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered an independent investigation of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power over the water situation. He called reports of fire hydrants losing water pressure during the fires "deeply troubling."

"Losing supplies from fire hydrants likely impaired the effort to protect some homes and evacuation corridors," Newsom wrote in a letter to local officials. "We need answers to how that happened."

Karen BassWildfires