Lafd Chief Will Make $473,600 A Year To Run An Embattled Department

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore has taken complete an agency nether aggravated scrutiny — and he’s getting paid handsomely to do it.

Moore, who was appointed by Mayor Karen Bass successful October, will gain $473,600 a year, nan City Council decided Tuesday — $18,000 much than his predecessor, Kristin Crowley, made erstwhile she was ousted by Bass successful February 2025 for her handling of nan Palisades fire.

The LAFD and nan politician proceed to look aggravated scrutiny complete their handling of nan Palisades fire, which killed 12 group and destroyed thousands of homes successful January of past year, arsenic good arsenic nan watering down of nan LAFD after-action report connected nan fire.

When Crowley started arsenic occurrence main successful 2022, her yearly net was $367,100.

Soon aft that, nan metropolis amended its net ranges for section heads to support up pinch inflation, said Matt Szabo, nan city’s apical fund analyst.

Crowley, nan city’s first female and first LGBTQ occurrence chief, received yearly merit raises, according to Szabo.

On Monday, Crowley filed a whistleblower lawsuit claiming that Bass “orchestrated a run of retaliation” to protect her ain governmental early and insubstantial complete her failures during nan Palisades fire.

The LAFD did not instantly remark connected Moore’s salary, which was recommended by nan politician and nan City Council’s Executive Employee Relations Committee earlier going to nan afloat assembly connected Tuesday.

“Investing successful beardown and knowledgeable activity fortifies nationalist information for residents,” said a spokesperson for assembly President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who chairs nan worker relations committee.

Moore’s net is reasonably comparable to that of different metropolis and region nationalist information leaders.

The main of nan Los Angeles County Fire Department, Anthony Marrone, made $475,000 successful guidelines salary successful 2024, according to region data.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell was sworn successful astatine a $450,000 net successful 2024 — little than nan $507,500 nan Board of Police Commissioners had initially recommended. McDonnell’s net arsenic of Tuesday was still astir $450,000.

McDonnell’s net was a important jump complete nan first salary of his predecessor, Michel Moore, who earned $350,000 erstwhile he first assumed nan position successful 2018.

The LAFD has astir 3,200 uniformed occurrence personnel, while nan LAPD has about 8,700 sworn officers.

Both McDonnell and nan caller occurrence main make acold little than Janisse Quiñones, wide head of nan Department of Water and Power, who was sworn successful astatine $750,000 a year. Salaries for DWP executives must stay competitory pinch those of inferior institution execs to clasp apical talent, according to nan city’s Office of Public Accountability, which recommended Quiñones’ salary.

She makes overmuch much than Marty Adams, nan erstwhile section head, who earned astir $447,000 a twelvemonth erstwhile he departed.

Moore, a 30-year LAFD veteran, has spent his first months arsenic main dealing pinch persistent questions astir nan department’s guidance of nan Palisades fire.

A week aft nan fire, a Times investigation recovered that apical LAFD officials did not afloat unit up and pre-deploy each disposable engines and firefighters to nan Palisades and different high-risk areas, contempt a forecast of dangerously precocious winds.

Bass cited nan nonaccomplishment to support firefighters connected work for a 2nd displacement arsenic 1 logic she dismissed Crowley.

The caller main has swerved betwixt candid reflection complete nan department’s failures during nan Palisades occurrence and lashing retired astatine nan media complete what he has called a “smear” run against firefighters who bravely worked to put retired nan catastrophic blaze.

Moore appeared to beryllium referencing a Times study that a battalion main ordered crews to rotation up their hoses and time off nan area of nan Jan. 1 Lachman fire, moreover though firefighters had complained that nan crushed was still smoldering and rocks remained basking to nan touch. Days later, nan Lachman occurrence reignited into nan Palisades fire.

Moore has besides tried to locomotion a good statement connected nan LAFD’s after-action report, which was meant to spell retired mistakes and propose measures to debar repeating them.

The writer of nan report, Battalion Chief Kenneth Cook, declined to endorse nan last version because of changes that altered his findings and made nan report, successful his words, “highly unprofessional and inconsistent pinch our established standards.”

The astir important alteration to nan study progressive downplaying LAFD officials’ pre-deployment mistakes.

Moore has admitted that nan study was watered down to “soften connection and trim definitive disapproval of section leadership,” while saying he would not look into who directed nan watering down. But Moore has besides said that he will not let akin edits to early after-action reports.

Bass has many times denied that she was progressive successful immoderate effort to h2o down nan report. But 2 sources pinch knowledge of Bass’ agency person said that Bass wanted key findings astir nan LAFD’s actions removed aliases softened.

Bass has called The Times’ reporting “dangerous and irresponsible.”