LA Mayor Bass says overall communication, collaboration on fire response has been very strong

BOYLE HEIGHTS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass Wednesday morning discussed the city's response to the Palisades Fire and the removal of Kristin Crowley as LAFD chief.

City councilmember Traci Park, who represents Pacific Palisades, says she's disappointed to have learned from the media rather than from Bass about Crowley's firing.

"I am in communication with the councilwoman all the time, and my staff is in communication with her as well," Bass said in response. "I don't think for most of the members of the council that they were surprised by the action that I took because they were very well aware of the issues that were going on."

Since Bass was in Africa Jan. 7 - the day the Palisades Fire broke out - L.A. City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson was in charge and declared a state of emergency more than six hours after the Palisades Fire started.

"I believe that every aspect needs to be looked at. The entire city family. Our emergency department. My office. All of it needs to be examined and we are participating in that now," Bass said. "As you know, there's multiple investigations going on. Two from Sacramento and then also ones that we will do here."

The Palisades Fire was reported around 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 and the local emergency was declared at 5:04 p.m. ABC7 asked Bass if she was surprised that it took hours to declare an emergency in Pacific Palisades.

"Well, that was something that we were cooperating with. When that should be declared is one issue," she said. "I'm not sure that had any direct difference in terms of what was happening with the fires right then. It's not like the emergency declaration was holding up the efforts to defeat the fires."

On Wednesday at East Los Angeles College, Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state has hired an independent group to look at the local, state and federal response to the fires. The report will be made public.

ABC7 reached out to the office of Harris-Dawson for an interview or statement regarding when the state of emergency was declared but has not heard back.