Bass accused of ‘retaliation’ in wake of fires

After the Palisades fire broke out in January, the head of the powerful firefighters union, Freddy Escobar, quickly got on the news and continued to say what he always had: The Los Angeles Fire Department was underfunded.

- By Noau GOLDBERG

(ROBERT GAUTHIER L.A. Times)

UNION official Freddy Escobar has filed a claim.

With millions around the world paying attention to the situation in Los Angeles, Escobar had a much larger audience than the month before, when he made the same points at a meeting before the city’s Board of Fire Commissioners.

“The fire chief does not have the money to staff the resources that are needed,” Escobar told The Times on Jan. 10, three days after the fires started. “Unfortunately, everything was lined up to have a disaster.”

But Escobar says now in an administrative claim against the city that his comments about the department — which he thought were protected speech from his position as the elected head of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City — led to retaliatory action from Mayor Karen Bass.

The city has 45 days to respond to the claim before Escobar can file a lawsuit. The LAFD declined to comment on “union-related matters.” The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.