Project Angel Food, an LA-based charity that provides nutritious meals to people who are too sick or physically incapable of feeding themselves, has had $340,000 cut from a federal grant it uses to provide medically tailored meals to 519 LA residents living with HIV.

The cut reduces a federal grant administered by LA County from $1.3 million to $964,000, and means Project Angel Food will run out of funding allocated to feed these clients about nine months into the fiscal year.

The cut is compounded by the loss of another $175,000 annual grant that Project Angel Food received under FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter program, which Ayoub says was cut off on January 20. 

Richard Ayoub, CEO of Project Angel Food, says he learned of the latest cut on Wednesday, and is calling on donors to fill the gap to ensure that his organization can continue feeding the needy.

“We have to fill the void because not feeding this population is not an option,” Ayoub says. “These people need food to survive. They have neuropathy. They are going through depression. They may have cancer, diabetes or heart disease on top of the HIV because they’re immune suppressed.”

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83 percent of Project Angel Food’s clients live below the poverty level, and 62 percent are over the age of 60. Most live alone and are people of color. 

For Ayoub, the cuts to these services are deeply personal.

“I don’t look at it as the number 519. I look at it as the actual human beings behind it. There’s a gentleman named Richard who gets our meals, who’s living with HIV. These are people who I’ve met, who rely on us, and I see their faces when I’m thinking about it,” he says.

Project Angel Food’s meals not only reduce hunger, but they improve health outcomes for clients.

“These are meals that have the right ingredients, the right portion, and the right combination to bring about great health outcomes. In the case of people with HIV, they get a heart-healthy meal. When they get that meal and they eat the right food, their viral load goes down. People with diabetes, when they eat the right food, their A1C levels go down, because food is medicine,” Ayoub says.

According to Project Angel Food’s research, the meals they provide also generate huge savings for the health care system.

“It has an incredible return on investment. Our research states that food as medicine reduces emergency room visits by 70 percent, decreases hospitalization by 50 percent, and overall reduction of healthcare costs is 16 percent. So if you invest in medically tailored meals, you more than break even,” Ayoub says.

“Our intervention… keeps people in their home and improves their quality of life. One day in the hospital pays for a whole year worth of our food.”

The federal grant comes from the Ryan White Care Act’s funds for Eliminating HIV Everywhere and is just one part of Project Angel Food’s overall funding. But Ayoub is worried that deeper cuts could be coming as the federal government reduces grants for other programs dealing with HIV under the Ryan White Care Act.

Other HIV service organizations in Southern California have already noticed that annual federal program funding has been frozen or held up this year. 

Ayoub says he is working with LA County’s congressional delegation to pressure Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to release the funds in full. 

Ayoub says Project Angel Food’s meals also improve their clients’ lives in intangible ways.

“You can’t underestimate the value of having that visitor every week coming to their home. It’s someone who checks in on them. It’s someone who tells them you matter, cause I’m coming to your home and bringing you life-sustaining food. I’m bringing you love.

“Most of them are long-term survivors of HIV. A lot of them, their friends died, and they have survivors guilt on top of everything else. And they’re the ones who took AZT, Crixivan, and the cocktail, all these experimental drugs,” Ayoub says. “We replaced the family that is back east or that doesn’t check in on them anymore because they’ve been sick for a very long time.”

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On Saturday, June 28, 2025, U.S. Congresswoman Laura Friedman (CA-30) celebrated the release of nearly $20 million in HIV prevention investments, previously frozen by the Trump Administration, while also celebrating the anniversary of the Stonewall protests that took place 56 years ago on that date.  

Rep. Friedman (CA-30) was joined by APLA Health CEO Craig Thompson and LA LGBT Chief Strategy Officer, Terra Russell-Slavin—two of the previously impacted organizations—at the APLA Health Michael Gottlieb Center in West Hollywood.

The previously frozen grants total $19,788,675 in federal investment for the period of June 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026. This amount in funds also has an increase in the 2025 to 2026 cycle of over $300,000 from the 2024 award. 

One month ago, Friedman led 23 members of Congress to urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to release the funds, as South L.A. clinics began to stop services. 

“South L.A. and communities across California are already feeling the devastating impacts of these withheld HIV prevention funds. These cuts aren’t just numbers—they’re shuttered clinics, canceled programs and lives lost,” said Friedman. “The Los Angeles LGBT Center, located in my district, is set to lose millions in funding—forcing them to likely cease services like HIV testing, STD screening, PrEP navigation and community education. We will not stand by while the CDC withholds funding and leaves frontline providers in the dark.”

As a result of the grants being frozen, the county has been forced to terminate contracts with dozens of community health providers, cutting off services for thousands of residents in South L.A. and beyond. The letter sent by Congressional members to the HHS and CDC can be found here.

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States — which currently holds a 6-3 conservative majority — ruled in favor of maintaining a ban on gender-affirming care on youth in Tennessee. 

Tennessee’s SB1 prohibits medical treatments or courses of action intended to treat gender dysphoria or affirm gender transitions for youth. The question back in December when the courts heard the oral arguments, was whether or not SB1 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment or Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits sex or gender-based discrimination. 

The U.S. v Skrmetti case, originally filed in late 2023, was filed on behalf of Jonathan Thomas Skrmetti and two other families. Now, this is the first time the Supreme Court has directly considered how the Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment applies to trans, gender non-conforming and intersex youth. 

Chief Legal Officer at Lambda Legal, Jennifer C. Pizer spoke at a press conference hosted by FLUX, an L.A.-based advocacy organization for trans, gender non-conforming and intersex people, along with representatives from the L.A. LGBT Center and Gender Justice L.A. 

“You are not alone,” said Queen Victoria Ortega, Chief Visionary Officer at the Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center, and International President at FLUX. Queen Victoria stated that through her own transition at a young age, she was able to embrace herself fully with the support of her family and continues to live a happy life without regret. 

“And for those of you who think this issue doesn’t affect [you], it’s time to wake up,” said Ortega, urging those outside of the transgender, gender non-conforming and intersex (TGI) community to act now as other rights, like reproductive rights, get taken away.

“Not only have reproductive rights been affected, but now the rights for parents that support their kids in their transition. This sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing not only parents, but kids, and physicians.”

“I call for all Americans and legislators that are also part of the fabric of the United States, to think about what it means to have access to life-saving medication. Not only hormone-replacement therapy, but also mental health services and a myriad of other wrap-around services…,” she said. 

Pizer stressed the importance of understanding the sex-based discrimination in this ruling. 

“What I want to stress is that while the decision is going to mean a lot of hardship for some wonderful families and young people in particular in Tennessee. The decision itself is very narrow. The Supreme Court majority opinion written by the Chief Justice, spends a lot of ink on the limitations of the decision,” said Pizer. “The decision is limited to the medical care context, and the Supreme Court has in a number of prior cases, used a different kind of Equal Protection analysis for minors and age classifications in the law have also been looked at more leniently than other classifications. 

Many non-LGBTQ youth are and will continue to be able to access gender-affirming care, but TGI youth are not able to access it. This ruling limits access to gender-affirming care that other youth who are not transgender, are able to access. 

The state of Tennessee argues that this gender-affirming care is dangerous and unproven and has other unintended consequences. Pizer says that if that were true, the care itself would not be accessible to other youth in the state. 

“It just doesn’t hold together logically,” said Pizer. “We have quite a few legal arguments and the Supreme Court took pains to say that it is not ruling on the other arguments that we have.” 

According to Pizer, Lambda Legal is committed toward continuing the fight against these laws that ban treatments. 

“What I want to reinforce is that this issue comes up at a time of unjustifiable and cruel attacks on our community and we are standing together at Lambda Legal. We are determined to do this work until we achieve equal justice under law, for all of us LGBTQ people, and especially the trans, nonbinary, gender non-conforming, [intersex] siblings, parents, neighbors, friends and loved ones,” she said. 

According to Pizer, this is a “very obvious case of sex-based discrimination.” 

While some cisgender youth are able to hormone-replacement treatment and puberty-blockers, trans, gender non-conforming and intersex youth are now unable to access that same care. 

Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO, Joe Hollendoner spoke on the issue as well.

“I wish to acknowledge how extremely cruel the Supreme Court’s decision was today, especially in light of this being Pride month,” said Hollendoner. “What I want to assure you is that the LA LGBT Center, the world’s largest LGBT organization and proud provider of gender-affirming care, that we are not going to stop providing this life-saving and essential care.” 

Hollendoner called on all healthcare institutions in states that have “favorable laws” that protect access to gender-affirming care, especially to minors, to step up in this moment to protect trans people. He called on blue states to step up and for institutions here in California like the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, to reverse their “horrible and harmful” decision to stop their gender-affirming care programs.

Gender Justice L.A. was on the ground to discuss their resources and course of action going forward. 

“We’re here as a community grassroots organization to support [the families of trans youth] and in solidarity and we will be coming together to rally in support,” said Ace Anaya, campaign coordinator at Gender Justice L.A.

Equality California also issued a statement regarding the ruling.

“As Justice Sotomayor stated in her dissent, ‘the majority subjects a law that plainly discriminates on the basis of sex to mere rational-basis review. By retreating from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most, the Court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims… It also authorizes, without second thought, untold harm to transgender children and the parents and families who love them. Because there is no constitutional justification for that result, I dissent,'” said Tony Hoang, executive director at Equality California.

Senator María Elena Durazo (D-Los Angeles) issued a statement on behalf of California: “This 6-3 ruling allows states to ban life-saving gender-affirming medical care, putting vulnerable young people at risk. California has always stood as a beacon of hope for LGBTQ families, and we will not waver in that commitment,” she said. “We will continue to welcome families fleeing discrimination and ensure access to comprehensive healthcare. This decision does not reflect our nation’s values of equality, dignity, and freedom.” 

Tens of thousands of people gathered in downtown L.A. on Saturday to not only protest, but to critique the Trump administration’s executive orders targeting the LGBTQ and immigrant communities across the country. 

Angelenos showed up by the numbers for the second week in a row, with some reports suggesting that upwards of 50,000 demonstrators filled the streets of downtown L.A., to protest the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids happening across the country, with many of those raids happening in L.A. and its adjacent counties. 

Last weekend marked the first major round of protests across SoCal and the nation, as ICE raids began to take more people off the streets.

Many of the demonstrators who showed up to protest against ICE deportations and rally in support of those affected by the executive orders, showed up with Pride flags, Pride gear and poster boards with references to the queer and trans communities. 

Since Trump’s first day in office, he has actively made moves that strip marginalized communities from rights, resources and deport people like Andry Hernandez Romero — a queer, Latinx, make-up artist — to countries they don’t belong in, and for reasons they did not deserve.

“No Kings Only Queens” sign held by protester on ‘No Kings Day,’ in Los Angeles on June 14, 2025.

(Photo credit Gisselle Palomera)

‘No Kings Day’ was deemed a nationwide protest taking place on Saturday, June 14, which was  meant to be Donald Trump’s 79th birthday celebration, as well as the U.S. Army’s 250th Anniversary Parade. Media outlets have reported that Trump’s birthday celebration drew in very few people and the U.S. Army’s 250th Anniversary Parade did not see the major turnout that was expected. 

The protests were planned as a movement showing the federal government, as well as the local governments, that Angelenos are hurt, angry, tired and desperate for change. 

At the protest, Los Angeles Blade spoke to sources on the ground who were spotted wearing Pride gear, and other gear mixed with the Pride flag and Mexican flag, signaling their intersectional identity in both communities being attacked by the federal government.

E. Torres, 31, was at the protest carrying a Pride flag on his back, peacefully protesting for immigrant rights and against ICE deportations and kidnappings. 

“I think it’s really important for me to be out here to kind of show my own representation as a queer, Latinx person,” said Torres. “You guys can’t see this, but I’m currently wearing my LGBTQ flag because it’s important for me as a Latino, to show up and show out and represent our community.” 

Torres says he grew up in the San Fernando Valley, as a child of immigrants from Mexico. In the interview on the streets with LA Blade, Torres stated the importance of showing up to support the communities being affected. 

“If we don’t [show up] then who’s going to do it for us?” he said. 

The Blade also spoke to Hannah Prawat, 39, who was at the protest with her group of friends, carrying a totem pole with a Pride flag at the top. 

“This facism has been encroaching on us. We live in a fascist state under cognitive dissonance and this belief that we have freedom. But we don’t,” said Prawat. “Our job is to stand like a shield and say: ‘This is as far as it goes’.”  

Another friend in their group, Melissa, 34, who only felt comfortable sharing her first name, says that she feels that as a white woman, it is her duty to be out there protesting.

“For us as a group, it is important as white women, to come out and use our voices and our bodies, because we know that our voices are sometimes heard above others,” she said. “So for us, it was just kind of imperative just to be out here and to say that we stand with you and that we will be your voice, if you can’t [use yours].” 

Protester waves Mexican flag across from L.A. City Hall during ‘No Kings Day’ on Saturday, June 14, 2025.

(Photo credit Gisselle Palomera)

In Downtown Los Angeles, protestors danced, chanted, waved flags, carried poster boards with critical messages to ICE agents, police force, military and those who support them. The unruly part came around 3p.m., when police force began shoving protesters, hitting them with battons and deploying tear gas on crowds that had already begun moving out of the area. 

More protests are planned in the upcoming days, with many organizers and organizations saying that more protests should be planned across smaller cities where ICE presence has been spotted taking people such as Montebello, Pico Rivera, Downey and South Central. 

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that the area of Downtown Los Angeles will be under an emergency curfew starting tonight. The mandatory curfew will be in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., and is likely to remain in place for a few days, she stated.

Jim McDonnell, Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, said anyone in the area “without reason” will be arrested.  

The curfew will be in effect for a limited area of about 1 square mile in Downtown L.A.

“[A] curfew has been in consideration for several days,”  she said in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, but said the violent acts and vandalism of last night were the “tipping point” in the city’s decision to institute and announce the curfew. 

Apple maps Screenshot of affected area. (Photo courtesy of Brenda Fernanda Verano)

In response to a question from a reporter, she says the widespread violence and vandalism of last night was the “tipping point” in her decision to institute the curfew, which had been under consideration for several days.

McDonnell said he hopes the curfew will “restore peace” in the city, which has been subjected to multiple ICE raids and citations over the last few days. 

“This curfew is not about silencing protest,” Ysabel Jurado (CD-14), councilmember overseeing the DTLA area, said in the press conference. 

The curfew does not apply to people who live in the affected area, workers, homeless people, or members of the media.

ICE raids have taken place across Los Angeles County over the last few days and tens of thousands of Angelenos have taken to the streets to protest against the raids and the police brutality involved in the arrests.

The Trump administration has threatened to arrest Governor Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass if they were to interfere with the ICE raids. In response, California has now filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration.

Early Monday morning, the U.S. Northern Command announced that it activated around 700 Marines, after the Pentagon and the Trump administration deployed around 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles over the weekend. As of today, Trump has deployed double the amount of National Guard troops and ICE raids are said to continue for the next 30 days. The deployment is set to cost $134 million and last 60 days or more according to Secretary Pete Hegseth and a senior defense official. 

Reporters have been hit with rubber bullets, batons and have been tear gassed while trying to document the protests. There are eyewitness reports and video footage showing police officers trampling people over with horses, running people over with squad cars and detaining people who have legal status.

In a broadcast interview with CNN, Mayor Bass stated that she believes that if ICE raids hadn’t happened on Friday, we would not be seeing the type of disorder we are seeing. The Los Angeles Police Department declared Downtown L.A. an unlawful assembly area after union president David Huerta was detained by ICE along with several undocumented immigrants. Huerta appeared in court on Monday and was released on a $50,000 bond. 

LAPD Chief Jim Donnell says they have adapted their tactics to arrest people, but that they are ultimately “overwhelmed” by the number of protesters. 

“We have adapted our tactics to take these people into custody and to be able to hold them accountable,” said Chief Donnell. “We are overwhelmed as far as the number of people out there engaged in this type of activity,” 

Mayor Bass said she was “completely in sync” with what the police chief stated, adding that she believes there is enough video footage to prosecute protestors even if they did not get arrested on scene.

“Some people might think that just because they haven’t gotten arrested on the spot, that they’ve gotten away with it and the message I would send is: there’s ton of video tape and people who didn’t get arrested today for committing violent acts — don’t plan on the fact that you get off because you can get arrested in the next few days,” said Mayor Bass. 

Mayor Bass doubled-down on her statement regarding the ICE raids and how L.A. is a city of immigrants and ICE raids will continue to affect the local economy. 

There have also been reports that ICE raids are taking place across schools and graduation ceremonies. 

Los Angeles Unified School District is set to deploy school police to set up safe zones around graduations and school campuses amid these raids targeting celebrations. According to the LA Times, school police will patrol and guard campus entrances when ICE and Border Patrol are seen in the area. Graduation ceremonies will become sanctuaries for families until immigration agents disperse from the area. 

Medical providers like St. John’s Community Health released a statement on the issue. 

“The aggressive increase in ICE activity is forcing already vulnerable people to fear going to the doctor, school, or even the grocery store — and putting countless families in danger,” said Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John’s Community Health.

Community leaders like Tony Hoang, executive director at Equality California stated that as a child of immigrants, it deeply saddens him to see the ICE raids take place across Los Angeles.

“Equality California joins Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta in calling for an end to National Guard deployment. We condemn the raids that have occurred and are continuing, which are xenophobic and traumatizing to families, individuals, and communities,” he said.

“We stand in solidarity with immigrant communities across Los Angeles and the state—and we call on every leader, at every level of government, to reject this assault on our values and take urgent action to protect those under threat.”

Over the last three weeks, glendaleOUT — a local LGBTQ group based in Glendale, California and city leadership have been at odds over securing financial support of a family-friendly Pride event set to happen on Saturday, June 7. As of Tuesday, Glendale’s city council voted 3-2 in favor of funding the event, ending a weeks-long argument over securing the funds.

The controversy began when the group highlighted how neighboring cities have visibly demonstrated support for Pride Month celebrations across the county, while the City of Glendale has yet to sponsor events with banners, city logos and financial sponsorship. 

Councilmember Dan Brotman proposed $5,000 in sponsorship funds, noting that the city has funded other cultural events with much larger amounts. 

Local leaders, but specifically Mayor Ara Najarian — who was just re-elected for a fifth term — are pushing back and opposing the proposal for funding. According to sources, Mayor Najarian openly opposed the proposal, stating a distant conflict of interest as the reason for the opposition. 

LGBTQ advocates have been quoted as saying this is a “bad-faith political tactic, not grounded in any real conflict of interest.” 

The next potential vote is expected to happen today at a city council meeting. Organizers say that the Pride event will happen regardless, but that they still hope to shed light on the patterns of sexual orientation-based discrimination in the city council. 

For more information about the free community Pride event, visit glendaleOUT’s website.

Governor Gavin Newsom’s May Revise for the 2025-26 budget proposes to eliminate two major initiatives from the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Health Equity: the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP) and the Gender Health Equity Section (GHES). 

The move would rescind funding which has already been awarded through existing contracts with nearly 70 community-based organizations across the state, with nearly 40 of those organizations being in Los Angeles. 

“These cuts come at a time when LGBTQ communities are already facing national rollbacks, from Medicaid slashes and  cuts to bans on gender-affirming care and shrinking access to mental health services,” said Dannie Ceseña, MPH, Director of the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network. “With trauma mounting from political attacks, California should be leading, not cutting lifelines. Slashing nearly half of the Office of Health Equity’s budget, the only state office specifically dedicated to addressing health disparities, breaks trust.”

Earlier this year, L.A. County’s Department of Public Health sent a notice to 39 organizations across the county, alerting them of the termination of over $19 million in Centers of Disease Control and Prevention funding, effective May 31. 

The Trump administration released a budget proposal for 2026, where $3.59 billion would be cut from the CDC — which currently handles 90% of all HIV prevention funding on a federal level.  This includes the elimination of millions of dollars worth of funding for community-based healthcare providers in Los Angeles, such as the LA LGBT Center, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Equality California, Trans Latin@ Coalition and others. 

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has also moved to eliminate the CDC’s prevention division as part of the plan to restructure the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Due to the widespread budget cuts coming from all levels of government, healthcare providers are now urging state legislators to allocate over $60 million from the AIDS Drug Assistance Program rebate fund to supplement and sustain the HIV prevention programs for the next year. 

Healthcare providers like the LA LGBT Center have expressed their concerns and have sounded the alarm for the serious repercussions this budget cut will have on the progress that has been made over the past 30 years. 

“We are sounding the alarm: Los Angeles County’s decision to eliminate HIV prevention services now is a direct threat to public health. It will fuel a surge in new HIV transmissions, deepen existing health disparities and saddle the county with far greater long-term costs,”  continued. “We demand that the Department of Public Health and the Board of Supervisors immediately reverse these reckless terminations and honor their contractual funding commitments.” 

The proposed cuts include cutting grants from programs that were created with explicit legislative direction and funded by the Legislature in previous budget cycles. These include programs supporting health equity, LGBTQ foster youth and access to reproductive healthcare. 

The grants fund grassroots mental health services, trauma-informed care, peer support and capacity-building in underserved regions and communities too often overlooked by mainstream systems.

“If the County has truly lost federal funding at a level that warrants terminating all HIV prevention contracts, its leadership should be working overtime with the State, elected officials, and community partners to secure emergency support and fill the gap,” said Joe Hollendoner, CEO of the LA LGBT Center. Instead, last week’s actions revealed a troubling lack of commitment to HIV prevention—and to the very communities most at risk for the virus.”

Ending the HIV Epidemic, a statewide coalition advocating for funding to eliminate health inequities, end HIV, STI, viral hepatitis deaths and substance overdoses in California, is pushing for state legislators to allocate around $60 million in the state’s fiscal budget for next year, toward sustaining HIV prevention programs across the state, including L.A. County. 

“In this critical moment, California must double down, not retract, its efforts to advance health equity and reduce health disparities,” said Jodi Hicks, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.

On Feb. 7, Linda Becerra Moran contacted the Los Angeles Police Department in a phone call where she reported that she was being held against her will in a San Fernando Motel. 

At around 9:40AM, Moran called the Foothill Division of the LAPD, and was recorded stating that she was not only being held at the motel against her will, but that she was being forced to bring men into her motel room. In the audio call recording, she is heard crying as she answers the questions regarding her safety. 

When the officers found her in the hotel room they stated that she didn’t remember how she got there, while speaking in Spanish to the officers. 

The statement released regarding the officer-involved shooting says that ‘when officers arrived, they entered the motel room and met with Moran. During their investigation, Moran became agitated, armed herself with a knife and held it to her neck.’ 

The officers responded by drawing their guns, further agitating her. The attorney representing the family of Moran says the released video proves that the shooting was unlawful and unjust. 

Now, the TransLatin@ Coalition is looking for justice for Moran and her family, especially considering that she was someone who received services directly from them. They hosted the first vigil for her on Friday, March 14, in front of the LAPD headquarters. 

“Linda Becerra Moran, a trans immigrant who received services from our organization, was brutally shot and murdered by the Los Angeles Police Department. We held a vigil and we invited the community to join us in solidarity as we demand justice and honor Linda’s life,” said the TransLatin@ Coalition in a statement. 

The police officer who shot and killed Moran was Jacob Sanchez, 24, who was hired in 2021. 

Moran was pronounced dead after three weeks on life support in late February.

Somos Familia Valle, is hosting a poster-making event today from 2PM to 8PM where they will be preparing for a call to action. The call to action is scheduled for Saturday, March 22 at the Foothill Division Police Department, at 1PM. The organization posted a list of demands, along with their statement on Moran’s death. 

“At a time where our trans siblings are being attacked politically and socially, now more than ever is the time for us to be loud and seek accountability,” reads the statement. “The murder of Linda Becerra Moran by the Los Angeles Foothill Division Police Department was unwarranted and speaks to the disregard for trans lives, but also the lack of de-escalation tactics.”

On Tuesday, the former Fire Chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department fought for her job to be reinstated through an appeal process that did not go in her favor. She will not get her job back, though she is expected to continue working for the department. 

At the meeting, Crowley pushed back for the first time against the arguments Bass used to justify her termination. Crowley argued that she was facing retaliation for publicly highlighting a lack of resources at the department. 

Going into the special meeting on Tuesday, she had to count on the support of at least 10 of the 15 councilmembers, or two-thirds. The appeal was almost certain to fail because she only counted on the support from Councilmembers Monica Rodriguez and Traci Park.

The main justification for her removal comes from Mayor Karen Bass, who claims Crowley allegedly made decisions that ultimately caused the Palisades fires to burn out of control. 

”A thousand firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke, were instead sent home,” said Bass in a previous press conference. 

Crowley responded to her accusation. 

“As for the 1,000 firefighters who were allegedly sent home prior to the fires, we did not have enough apparatus to put them on,” Crowley said. “Because of budget cuts and lack of investments in our fleet maintenance, over 100 of our fire engines, fire trucks and ambulances sat broken down in our maintenance yards unable to be used to help during the worst wildfire events in our history.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Bass doubled-down on her claims, adding that Crowley allegedly refused to conduct an after-action report following the Palisades fire. 

A claim that Crowley says is false. 

“I did not refuse to conduct an after-action report,” said Crowley to the council. “And let me be clear, this is a false accusation.”

“During our discussions about an after-action report, I advised the fire commissioners about my opinion that was best in regard to how to use LAFD resources,” continued Crowley. 

“I said that the LAFD is not capable, nor do we have the proper resources to adequately conduct an after-action report for the Palisades Fire.” 

Bass was in Ghana when the Palisades fire broke out, leaving council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson as acting mayor. When Bass returned, she blamed Crowley for not warning her of the powerful Santa Ana winds that put Los Angeles at high-risk of fires before she left. 

Back in January, Crowley took to the news media to talk about the lack of resources the fire department struggled with and that Crowley says ultimately caused the lack of response to the fires. 

Councilmember Imelda Padilla, who represents the central San Fernando Valley, also publicly criticized Crowley for making the public announcement while the fires were still raging through Pacific Palisades. 

The former fire chief also counted on the support of many LAFD firefighters who spoke in favor of her leadership skills and decisions.

Former Chief Deputy Ronnie Villanueva is currently serving as interim Fire Chief, as the search for someone to fill the position begins.