Los Angeles mayor slashed fire budget last year, prioritized homeless population

Breck Dumas / FOXBusiness

Los Angeles' budget is in the spotlight as multiple wildfires rage around the city amid revelations that Mayor Karen Bass slashed the fire department's budget last year while prioritizing spending on the city's homeless population.

For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Los Angeles budgeted $837 million for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), which was roughly 65% the size of the homeless budget of $1.3 billion.

An analysis by L.A.'s city comptroller last year found that roughly half the budget for homelessness went unspent.

From the 2023-2024 to the 2024-2025 budgets, the LAFD’s budget was reduced by over $17 million from $837,191,237 to $819,637,423. 

Bass had proposed a larger budget cut to the LAFD, about $23 million, but it was not adopted. Read more and see video here.