Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has pointed the finger at Mayor Karen Bass and budget cuts to the LA Fire Department as the Palisades and Eaton fires rage on. And she's not alone. But what's the reality? And is this a matter of politics, or is the answer a matter of math?

LA Times reporter David Zahniser examined the city budget and joined Lisa McRee on "LA Times Today" to explain how funding has come into play during this emergency.  

Zahniser explained that the fire department's funding grew in the last year, largely due to significant pay raises. Bass' initial budget proposal in April 2024 called for a 2.7% decrease for the fire department, though the City Council amended it and approved a 2% decrease.

"The city's leaders also put money in a separate account, and the reason why it was in an account was the [fire department union] negotiations weren't quite done, but they knew that they were going to be done very soon... And so the city would allocate about $50 million for higher salaries in a different account, and that money, by the time this budget year's over, is moving into the fire department. So that along with some other expenses, is why the department has grown," he said. 

While the overall funding for the department has grown, 60 vacant civilian positions were eliminated to make room for those pay raises. Zahniser explained why Crowley is criticizing that decision. 

"The fire chief in a memo last month said very explicitly she was super concerned about the reduction in the civilian staff and even more concerned about the loss of certain kind of overtime hours. And she said the loss of those overtime hours would specifically make it harder to prepare for and respond to emergencies like wildfires," Zahniser said. 

The leader of the fire department union said the LAFD has been underfunded for decades and needs more investment into the staff and facilities. The Eaton Fire in Altadena is not within LAFD jurisdiction, since it's in an unincorporated area of LA County.

Zahniser looked ahead to what could change within the department as a result of these devastating wildfires. 

"I think there's going to be a serious conversation in a couple of months about what should be in the budget for the coming year. And I think there's going to be a real discussion about whether or not there needs to be a tax measure for some of these facilities. It's been 30 years since there was a bond measure to pay for fire stations and their upkeep. I know that those conversations were happening well before the fires started," he said. 

Watch the full interview above.

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