Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is facing mounting criticism over her administration’s failure to deploy the city’s Crisis Response Team (CRT) during the initial, critical days of the Palisades Fire disaster. With a budget nearing $1 million and hundreds of trained volunteers ready to provide on-the-ground aid to survivors, the CRT sat idle for a full week as the fire claimed at least 25 lives, destroyed over 10,000 homes and businesses, and engulfed entire communities in chaos.
The CRT was created in 1992 to offer immediate, practical, and emotional support to victims of fires, crimes, and other crises. Its volunteers are specifically trained to staff evacuation centers, assist with disaster recovery, and provide psychological first aid—exactly the kind of help that was desperately needed in the wake of this devastating fire. But while the flames tore through Los Angeles, CRT volunteers were notified via email that their services had “not been requested.” According to multiple sources, volunteers continued to be dispatched for smaller incidents, like traffic crashes, but received no activation for the fire victims.
The delay has left former CRT officials, firefighters, and even the program’s current volunteers baffled. “This team is more well-funded than any in the country and is sitting on its hands, not responding at all,” one longtime volunteer told The Post. Former CRT director Joseph Avalos, who led the organization for 13 years until Bass fired him last May, said he was “shocked” by the lack of action. “Quite honestly, I don’t understand why,” Avalos said.
Infuriating. A Los Angeles firefighter breaks down in tears when a CNN reporter reminds him that he warned LA leaders — only a month ago — that “people will die” due to a woefully underfunded and short-staffed LAFD. Staffing levels were only at HALF the size needed.
He was… pic.twitter.com/UcfJgEXTvY
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) January 16, 2025
Adding to the confusion is the leadership vacuum within the CRT. The team has been without a permanent director since Avalos was dismissed, and its oversight has been further complicated by the suspension of Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Brian Williams, who was placed on administrative leave after an FBI raid in late December. Williams’ staffer, Christopher Anyakwo, claimed the CRT is “helping at the disaster recovery center” but failed to explain why volunteers were explicitly told their services were not needed in the critical days after the fire began.
The Palisades Fire, which broke out on January 7, has been one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters in Los Angeles history, yet the lack of immediate deployment of the CRT points to a glaring failure of leadership. “The mayor doesn’t have to wait for a request,” noted Rick Crawford, a former LAFD Battalion Chief and current crisis management coordinator for the U.S. Capitol. “She has all the authority to deploy them at her discretion.”
The situation raises troubling questions about Bass’s priorities and decision-making during this disaster. The CRT has successfully responded to major tragedies in the past, including the 2023 Monterey Park mass shooting, so why were they sidelined this time? Critics argue that Bass’s office has been bogged down by internal chaos and political mismanagement, leaving the city’s disaster response disorganized and inadequate.
Emails obtained by The Post revealed that CRT interim director Edward Alamo and program manager Ané Vecchione informed volunteers early on that no deployment would take place. Neither provided explanations for the decision, and both declined to comment when questioned. The lack of transparency from Bass’s office has only fueled frustration among residents and officials. A statement from a spokesperson for the mayor claimed the CRT is working “right now” at the disaster recovery center but offered no clarity on when the team was finally mobilized.
To make matters worse, the Bass administration’s leadership vacuum and delays have coincided with a spiraling crisis for the victims of the fires. Many displaced residents are still scrambling for shelter and basic necessities, while speculators and opportunists prey on families looking to rebuild. Meanwhile, volunteers trained and ready to assist were left sitting on the sidelines.
