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Lawsuit against LAFD calling for fair pay, proper staffing reignited following wildfires

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A 2023 lawsuit calling for fair pay and proper staffing in the Los Angeles Fire Department has been reignited following the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires that left 29 people dead. 

When the wildfires erupted in Southern California a few weeks ago, local leaders faced criticism for their responsibility in the understaffing and underfunding of the fire department. Attorneys and firefighters from the February 2023 lawsuit held a news conference Tuesday, hoping to advance their issues ahead of an LA City Council meeting to ensure firefighters are being paid fairly.

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Attorneys and firefighters from the February 2023 lawsuit held a news conference Tuesday, hoping to advance their issues ahead of an LA City Council meeting to ensure firefighters are being paid fairly. KCAL News

"This lawsuit is simply about getting every single one of those firefighters paid properly for the time that we are away from our families risking our lives for the citizens of Los Angeles," said Daniel Gonzalez a 21-year veteran with the Los Angeles Fire Department. 

Gonzalez explained that, typically, firefighters work 24-hour shifts. However, due to understaffing, many of them are being recalled to work 25 and a half hours but are not being adequately paid for the extra time. Oshea Orchid with Sethi Orchid Miner said the reason firefighters are being asked to work additional hours is because of understaffing.

"It used to be not such a big issue but now the department is severely understaffed and we're seeing that being a serious problem in our city and we are here to talk about the issue that we need to pay them fairly and we need to staff the fire department," Orchid said. 

About a month before the fires broke out, the city's fire chief Kristin Crowley said budget cuts were impeding the department's ability to respond to emergencies, a department memo said. 

Funding for the city's fire department decreased by $17.6 million, or 2%, between the 2024-25 fiscal year and the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to city budget documents. However, the city council in November approved a four-year $203 million contract with the firefighter's union to help boost wages and health benefits for staff, drawing from the budget's general fund.

As the fires became deadly and destroyed thousands of structures, public criticism grew. 

In a Dec. 4 memo, Crowley wrote to the Board of Fire Commissioners that the budget cuts "have adversely affected the Department's ability to maintain core operations." 

In a news conference during the fires, Mayor Karen Bass said budget cuts did not impact the department's ability to handle the ongoing fires. 

"There were no reductions that were made that would have impacted the situation that we were dealing with over the last couple of days," Bass said. She also emphasized the additional funds the department was set to receive from the city's contract with the union.   

"LAFD funding was the highest it's been in 15 years," the mayor's office said. 

Orchid and her clients hope that the city council will prioritize the firefighter's and department's needs. 

"I hope that the city council takes a look at this seriously and takes some steps to make sure that all of our 3,000 firefighters get paid properly," Gonzalez said. 

The LAFD declined to comment about the lawsuit. 

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