Amidst the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles, a recent report by Perkin Amalaraj of the UK’s Daily Mail sheds light on the Los Angeles Fire Department’s desperate requests for funding. The department had been pleading with the city council for financial support to replace outdated equipment and hire additional maintenance staff, but sadly, their appeals were met with silence, leading to the current crisis.
Just prior to the devastating wildfires, the Los Angeles Fire Department had asked the city council for a substantial sum of nearly $100 million to update its entire fleet, as per DailyMail.com’s investigation.
The deadly wildfires in Los Angeles have resulted in a tragic loss of life, with at least 24 fatalities reported and over 200,000 individuals displaced. Critics have been quick to condemn the city’s administration for their choices to slash the LAFD’s budget, which has further exacerbated the situation.
In a preliminary budget request for 2025/26, signed by Fire Chief Kristin Rowley, made on October 29, the LAFD asked for $96,535,000 to fund a ‘fleet replacement plan’.
The revelations come amid growing anger at the city’s Democratic leadership, particularly mayor Karen Bass, for its alleged focus on diversity and inclusion over emergency preparedness.
The firefighting force said in its request to the city: ‘Many vehicles have surpasses their expected service life, leading to increased maintenance costs, reduces parts availability and potential downtime.’
And in its formal proposal to the city in November, it requested $24,063,000 for ‘new fleet/apparatus purchases’.
Here are some of the things the City and County of Los Angeles did see fit to spend money on:
Fox News reported that hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent on initiatives including $14,010 to the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, $190,000 to the Homeless and HIV needle exchange program, and $100,000 of county funds to pay for Juneteenth celebrations.
So they cut money to the fire department, but they can spend money on the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, needle exchange programs, and Juneteenth celebrations. You just can’t make this stuff up; it would be funny if it weren’t so tragic.
