Los Angeles firefighters are taking fire protection into their own hands after Mayor Karen Bass cut funding to the Los Angeles Fire Department. In June 2024, Mayor Karen Bass signed the city’s 2024-2025 budget, which cut the department’s funding by $17.6 million, according to data shared by Los Angeles City Controller Kenneth Mejia. The cuts sparked widespread backlash after the devastating January 2025 Palisades Fire, as Angelenos questioned whether Bass had adequately funded and staffed the fire department, and whether the destruction could have been reduced had the department been better prepared. Now, the LAFD union, United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, is advocating for change by going directly to voters. After firefighters raised more than $1 million and gathered the signatures needed to qualify, the Los Angeles City Council voted 14-0 to place a ballot measure before voters that would add a 0.5% sales tax on purchased goods. If passed, the tax would fund what firefighters say are much-needed and long-overdue improvements to the department. Firefighter-paramedic Richard Ramirez said at the campaign launch that the department is overwhelmed. “In 1960, Los Angeles had about 2.5 million residents, and the fire department handled approximately 100,000 emergency calls a year,” he said. “Today, in 2026, L.A. has almost 4 million people, but we have fewer fire stations and about the same number of firefighters now responding to more than half a million emergency calls every year.” Bass has voiced support for the ballot measure, but critics are questioning why firefighters had to take matters into their own hands to secure funding instead of having those funds allocated through the city budget. “It is totally unacceptable that the City Council and mayor have underfunded the fire department and essentially told the firefighters’ union to go out and get their own tax increase,” the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said in a statement. Mayor Karen Bass did not respond to the Daily Signal’s request for comment. Bass is also facing pushback from former LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, a 26-year veteran of the department, who says Bass falsely placed blame on her for the destruction caused by the January 2025 Palisades Fire. Bass accused Crowley of allowing roughly 1,000 firefighters to go home instead of keeping them on duty ahead of the forecasted fire weather, failing to predeploy additional fire engines before the Palisades Fire, and refusing to conduct an after-action report on the department’s response. As a result, Bass removed Crowley as fire chief and demoted her three ranks to assistant chief. Crowley’s legal team disputed Bass’ allegations, filing an unlawful retaliation lawsuit claiming Crowley repeatedly warned city leaders before the Palisades Fire that budget cuts, understaffing, aging infrastructure, and outdated equipment had left the department unprepared for a major wildfire. The lawsuit alleges Bass made false statements to shift blame, including falsely claiming she was unaware of the expected weather event, falsely claiming the LAFD budget had not been cut, and falsely claiming the department had enough resources to send an additional 1,000 firefighters to battle the fire. “These false statements were not mistakes but part of a deliberate strategy to divert scrutiny from Bass’ decisions and to avoid accountability,” Crowley’s lawsuit states. The lawsuit is still in its early stages with no trial date.