The union representing more than 3,000 Los Angeles city firefighters on Friday reiterated its support for Fire Chief Kristin Crowley, denouncing an anonymous letter that accused her of responding to the massive destructive Pali Seitz mishandled the fire.

Los Angeles Unified Firefighters Local 112 condemned a letter circulating this week — which purported to be from a “retired and active chief officer of the Los Angeles Fire Department” but did not include a name or signature — saying Crowley “let him down.” lost” the expectations of Los Angeles residents and lost their rights. Mayor Karen Bass’ confidence.

The union's 10-member board said in a page-long letter to Crowley that "disgruntled anonymous individuals" had been waging a campaign against her. They also praised Crowley, the department's first female chief, for her "willingness to fight for her employees and the agency's budget."

"While we have not yet agreed on all issues, you are the only fire chief in decades to repeatedly request adequate resources," the union's letter said.

Crowley's outpouring of support is the latest chapter in a dispute among city leaders since the Palisades fires that destroyed more than 3,500 buildings and killed at least 10 people.

Last week, as the fires continued to burn, Crowley gave a television interview claiming her department's response to the emergency was hampered by $17 million in budget cuts. In an appearance, she said the city of Los Angeles — and by implication Mayor Karen Bass — had failed her and her agency.

The city's top budget analyst and some City Council members countered that the Fire Department's budget is expected to grow by more than 7 percent once firefighter pay raises and vehicle purchases are taken into account. Bass himself said the $17 million cuts were for some actions by the fire department and did not affect the response to the Palisades fire.

In the days that followed, Crowley became the target of a five-page anonymous memo, on fire department letterhead, claiming to be from the "Chief Officer of the Los Angeles Fire Department" and accusing Crowley of Anger continues with 'quarrels and accusations' over Palisades fire. The former Los Angeles fire chief never engaged in such behavior, said the letter, dated Monday and which has been circulated inside and outside the department.

"Chief, please focus on your current duties and responsibilities, which should be focused on mitigating and stabilizing the Palisades Fire at this time," the letter said. "Your comments about the budget blowout and 'the city has failed the Los Angeles Fire Department' are Unwise, ill-timed, and a distraction from the most important issue, the Palisades Fire.”

The unsigned letter accuses Crowley of several other issues, including personnel complaints, city salary issues and accusations that the agency failed to adequately prepare for the fire.

It's unclear how many fire department staff, if any, were involved in writing the letter. On Thursday, the agency's Chief Officers Association, which represents dozens of command staff, issued its own letter praising Crowley's "courageous leadership and advocacy."

"Your recent actions highlight a fact we all know well," said the one-page document, signed by union president Robert Nelson. "Our ability to protect and serve depends on appropriate staffing, resources, equipment and facilities. , data analysis shows the Los Angeles Fire Department is less staffed than other major cities.”

Nelson could not be reached for comment on the letter, which was sent Thursday and later provided to The Times by the rank-and-file firefighters union.

Asked about the deluge of letters supporting and opposing Crowley, Bass spokesman Zach Seidl referred The Times to the mayor's comments at the city's Emergency Operations Center over the weekend. After meeting with Crowley in person, Bass said she and the chief are "focused on fighting these fires" and are "in lockstep."

Crowley said she had received outpouring of support from current and retired CEOs in recent days. The chief also said she has been "researching in depth" the issues raised in the letter.

"Again, I don't know who these people are, and it honestly doesn't matter to me," she said. “I’m taking feedback and working on it.”

The Palisades Fire occurred the same day the Eaton Fire swept through the Altadena area, destroying more than 7,100 structures and killing at least 17 people. Altadena is outside the city of Los Angeles and therefore outside of Crowley's area of ​​responsibility.

Criticism of Crowley was not limited to letters. Fernando Guerra, a political science professor at Loyola Marymount University, said he considered Crowley's media blitz last week and her claims that the city failed her institution "fireable offenses."

Crowley has broken ranks with other city leaders during the crisis, just as they needed to show unity, said Guerra, who also directs the Loyola Marymount Research Center in Los Angeles. On top of that, he said, Crowley did this without first talking to his boss.

"To me, she's not ready for prime time as far as city hall politics and budget politics go," he said.

Los Angeles Fire Commission Chairman Genethia Hudley Hayes said she had also received letters attacking Crowley but did not know the name of the person behind it. She said the committee needed to address the issues raised in the letter "one piece at a time."

"Do I think that's fair? At this particular point in time, I don't know," she said. "I'm not going to say whether I think the allegations are correct because they are allegations."

Hudley Hayes, a Bass appointee, said she agreed with a passage in the letter that said Crowley had been pointing fingers and that she should focus on her duties.

"I do think she should just focus on dealing with emergencies," she said. "I agree with that. As for the other allegations in that letter, I will not get involved in a fight with anyone."