California Wildfires Fire Chief

The former Los Angeles fire chief has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging that her ouster was part of an orchestrated effort to smear her conduct and decision-making so Mayor Karen Bass could avoid accountability for the most destructive wildfire in LA history. Crowley’s filing last week accuses the first-term Democrat of trying to distract from criticism for being in Africa in a presidential delegation when the Palisades Fire started, even though weather reports had warned of dangerous wildfire conditions in the days before she left. The mayor’s office didn’t immediately comment on the lawsuit.