LA Mayor Bass Proposes LAFD DEI Merger Amid Budget Cuts

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has proposed merging the Los Angeles Fire Department’s (LAFD) Equity Bureau, which oversees diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, into the department’s Professional Standards Division. The plan, which comes amid significant budget constraints, has sparked public criticism over concerns that it may weaken the city’s DEI commitments.

According to the Los Angeles Times on April 28, the proposal is part of a strategy to address the city’s 2025–2026 fiscal year budget shortfall. Under the restructuring, the Equity Bureau would no longer operate as a separate unit. Instead, DEI-related tasks, including recruitment, would be handled by the Professional Standards Division. As part of this shift, five out of nine positions in the equal employment sector of LAFD were also eliminated.

Political Context and Conservative Criticism

The report noted that this move followed January criticism from conservative media outlets, which questioned the department’s gender-focused recruitment policies and operational efficiency after the Palisades wildfire. The shift is also viewed as reflective of a national trend following the emergence of a second Trump administration, during which federal DEI policies began to be rolled back.

Rebecca Ninburg, former LAFD commissioner, strongly criticized the plan, saying, “Mayor Karen Bass has yielded to pressure from the Trump administration” and adding, “Former Chief Kristin Crowley took great pride in these policies. Mayor Bass has essentially scrapped them.”

Mayor Rejects DEI Rollback Allegations

In response to growing backlash, Mayor Bass stated in an April 25 interview with the Los Angeles Times, “Diversity and inclusion are everyday values in LA,” and emphasized that “this is a structural review at some levels, not a retreat from our policy goals.”

The LAFD Equity Bureau was established in November 2022 under former Mayor Eric Garcetti to advance DEI goals within the department. At that time, Garcetti appointed Kristin Crowley as the department’s first female fire chief and launched efforts to increase recruitment of women and individuals from underrepresented communities.

Mixed Results in DEI Implementation

While the bureau made some progress under Chief Crowley’s leadership, concerns remained. Several Black employees claimed that, despite the DEI initiatives, incidents of discrimination, harassment, and biased hiring practices continued or increased. Additionally, as of 2023, female firefighters made up less than 4% of the department’s 3,250 employees.

As the city continues to grapple with budget pressures and political scrutiny, the future of DEI implementation within LAFD remains uncertain.

BY HYOUNGJAE KIM [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]