12 hours ago
A fast-moving fire in Los Angeles' upscale Pacific Palisades killed five people, forced 100,000 residents to evacuate, and devastated the area.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass slashed the fire department budget by more than $17 million last year. (Photo: AP)
New Delhi,UPDATED: Jan 9, 2025 10:20 IST
The Los Angeles mayor, Karen Bass, has come under severe criticism for cutting the budget allocation for the fire department as the Pacific Palisades wildfire rages uncontrollably, destroying thousands of homes across vast acres and forcing over a lakh residents to evacuate the upscale California region. Mayor Bass slashed the fire department budget by more than $17 million last year, as she directed more resources toward addressing homelessness.
For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Los Angeles allocated $837 million to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), accounting for roughly 65 per cent of the $1.3 billion budget designated for homelessness initiatives, Fox News reported.
However, out of the $1.3 billion budget for the homeless, roughly half the budget for homelessness went unspent.
From the 2023-2024 to the 2024-2025 budgets, the LAFD’s budget was reduced by over $17 million from $837,191,237 to $819,637,423.
Published On:
Jan 9, 2025
