Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has chosen a 30-year fire department veteran as the new fire chief months after she ousted the former chief over his handling of the most devastating wildfire in the city’s history.
Bass announced Friday that she selected Deputy Chief Jaime Moore to take the reins of the Los Angeles Fire Department after a nationwide search of more than 100 candidates.
Moore will inherit a department that has faced scrutiny over its response to the Palisades fire, which began amid high winds on Jan. 7 and destroyed or damaged nearly 8,000 homes, businesses and other structures and killed at least 12 people in the affluent LA neighborhood.
Bass, a first-term Democrat seeking re-election, fired then-Fire Chief Kristin Crowley six weeks after the blaze amid a public rift over preparations for a potential blaze and finger-pointing between the chief and City Hall over responsibility for the destruction.
Moore said he will work to implement strategic changes such as preparing for major disasters and world events, improving morale and culture and ensuring the department is adequately staffed and resourced.
“I am proud to appoint an Angeleno to this role, and I know he will work to improve the LAFD for everyone in this city,” Bass said.
The firefighters union quickly applauded Moore’s appointment.
“Throughout his career with the LAFD, Chief Moore has demonstrated strong leadership and a deep commitment to the department,” United Firefighters of the City of Los Angeles wrote on X. “His background and experience within the ranks have shown him to be the right leader at the right time to move LAFD forward.”
Moore currently oversees operations for the Valley Bureau, which covers a northern area of the city that includes 39 fire stations and over 980 sworn personnel, according to his fire department biography. He joined the LAFD in May 1995 and over the years has worked in a wide range of areas within the department. In 2018, he was promoted to assistant manager.
He was born in Delhi, Louisiana, but has spent his entire life in Southern California. His mother was an immigrant from Guadalajara, Mexico, and he was raised speaking English and Spanish.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles and a master’s degree in public administration and emergency management from California State University, Long Beach.
The appointment comes at a critical political time for Bass, as she runs for re-election next year after a difficult first term. City Hall has been struggling with a lack of cash and a continuing homeless crisis with the 2028 Olympics on the horizon as they continue to rebuild from January’s fires.
Crowley, the department’s first female chief, was appointed chief in 2022 by Bass’ predecessor at a time when the department was in turmoil over allegations of rampant harassment, hazing and discrimination. She worked for the city’s fire department for more than 25 years, holding nearly every role, including fire marshal, engineer and battalion chief.
Fire officials, including Crowley, expressed concern about budget cuts that left the department understaffed and fire trucks sitting idle in the maintenance yard because they didn’t have mechanics to repair them. The firefighters union strongly criticized Bass’s decision, calling Crowley a “scapegoat”.
Crowley filed a lawsuit against the city in August, accusing Bass of an “orchestrated campaign of misinformation, defamation and retaliation” following the wildfires.
Federal investigators have determined that the Palisades fire was ignited from a smaller fire that was started about a week earlier on New Year’s Day. A man accused of starting the fire pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges. His attorney has blamed the LAFD for not putting out the first fire, while fire officials have said such fires linger deep underground and are impossible to detect.