As wildfires ravaged Southern California, destroying around 10,000 homes and businesses, Los Angeles County residents expressed outrage over budget decisions that cut millions from the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) while funding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Just months before the fires erupted, LAFD’s budget was slashed by $17.6 million. Simultaneously, a budget review revealed significant allocations for community initiatives, including $14,010 for the “Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles,” an organisation dedicated to creating “musical experiences” promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Additional DEI-related expenditures included $190,000 for a Homeless and HIV Program featuring a syringe exchange initiative, $100,000 for Juneteenth celebrations, $13,000 for LGBTQ+ Heritage Month programming, $100,000 for the “Midnight Stroll Transgender Café,” which provides housing for homeless transgender individuals in Hollywood, and $4.5 million for electric vehicle (EV) charger infrastructure.
Critics noted that homelessness-related funding outpaced fire department funding for the second consecutive year. In the aftermath of the fires, some residents pointed to empty fire hydrants, unmaintained vegetation, and water shortages as signs of misplaced priorities.
Actress Sara Foster was among those voicing frustration, taking to X to slam state leadership: “We pay the highest taxes in California. Our fire hydrants were empty. Our vegetation was overgrown. Our reservoirs were drained for environmental reasons. But thank god drug addicts are getting their kits,” she wrote, calling for the resignation of Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass.
Meanwhile, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone acknowledged the strain on resources during a press conference, stating, “We simply do not have enough firefighters to handle four fires of this scale simultaneously.”
