About The Los Angeles Fire Department And The Los Angeles Board Of Fire Commissioners

Hard to imagine an organization more uniquely designed for the purpose of failing its mission -- if the mission is "public safety."

Captain’s Note: When I started writing this article, I intended it to be relatively short and an overview. But there is SO MUCH information, I will be following it up this weekend with a much deeper dive. So consider this just an appetizer on what is to come in a few days.

The photograph above was published in the LA Times in 2016 — so it is a bit dated. Notice the three women featured prominently in the front of the photograph. The story this photo accompanied was about the failure of LA Mayor Eric Garcetti to reach the goal of having 5% of the LA Fire Department’s firefighters be women by 2020. The article reported that only 3.3% were women.

Applying that percentage to the total number of firefighters — 3,372 — reveals that in 2020 the LA Fire Department had only 111 sworn firefighters who were women.

Four years later, the senior management of the LA Fire Department has three out of 11 top management positions filled by women. All three came up through the ranks of the LAFD, and they occupy the positions of Fire Chief, Head of Training and Support, and — here you go — “Equity and Human Resources.”

So, nearly 30% of senior management is filled by women from a department where only 3% of the sworn firefighters — in 2020 — were women.

The LAFD is overseen by a “civilian” Board of Fire Commissioners. “[T]he civilian board [is] charged with overseeing and making policy for the City of Los Angeles’ Fire Department” according to the LAFD website. The Commissioners are appointed by the LA Mayor, and one online resource says the salary for a Fire Commission in Los Angeles is approximately $114,000 per year.

The “Core Values” of the LAFD as established by the Commission and Command Staff are set forth as follows:

Service — Prioritizing our citizens, residents, and communities.

Character – Aligning personal values with organizational values
Competency – Committing to the continual pursuit of performance excellence.
Contribution – Immersing ourselves in the advancement of our services and standards
Collaboration – Embracing the widespread value of diversity, equity, and inclusion
Safety – Always, in every operation; at every incident
Knowledge – Informed, experienced leaders with qualification, certifications and formal education

Here are the current Commissioners and some biographical information about them and their backgrounds as listed on the Department’s website:

Ms. Hayes is currently the President of the Fire Commission.

She was first appointed in 1998, and left the Commission in 2002.

She was appointed again in 2005, reappointed in 2010, but then REMOVED by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2013 when she was serving as Commission President. A later investigation determined that rampant neotism existed in the selection of candidates for the LAFD Academy, with more than 25% of selected applicants being related current LAFD staff/firefighters. In one instance, applications to the Academy were accepted online for only 1 minute on the day they were due.

In 2014 she ran in a special election for a vacated seat on the LAUSD School Board. She was endorsed in that race by then member of Congress Karen Bass.

She was reappointed as a Fire Commissioner by Bass in 2023. From the Department’s website, here are “highlights” of her “professional” background:

• B.A. in English from Texas College in 1972 — today it has an enrollment of only 970 students. A Masters in Education from Pepperdine in 1976, she lists an “MBA Program” from San Jose State and “The Center for Non-Profit Management.” More on that below. Also a “doctorate” where she has idenified “American University” in the past the institution. She is claims to be a “Certified Mediator.”

• Here first “career” was spent entirely in various educational elements of the the greater Los Angeles area. She was once elected to the LA School District Board, and served as a Trustee in the Compton Community College District.

• Since retiring from education, she’s been CEO of HudleyHayes & Associates, providing services and training to non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and small to midsize corporations. “Genethia’s life and work have been dedicated to improving educational outcomes for black, brown and disadvantaged students across the nation.”

• She served as Senior Policy Deputy for LA County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, overseeing the LA Dept. of Public Social Services, The Domestic Violence Commission, The Child Supportive Services Department, The Los Angeles County Office of Education and WDACS (Workforce Development and Senior Services).

Doesn’t that just scream out an expertise in “Effective Fire Prevention and Response???” HudleyHayes & Associates sounds a lot like the generic liberal-progressive NGO that simply sucks up taxpayer dollars to advance liberal-progressive policy initiatives?

Ms. Delugach is the Vice-President of the LA Fire Commission. She was appointed by current Mayor Karen Bass in May 2023. Here are some interesting facts from her biography on the Commission’s website:

• She worked as a Community Engagement Coordinator for the American Federation of Teachers, where she was dedicated to building community/labor coalitions advocating for educational and racial justice.

• She was Staff Director and Director of Policy for the UCLA Labor Center.

• She served as Chief of Staff for LA School Board and later LA City Councilmember Jackie Goldberg during Goldberg’s 8 years there. Goldberg was a prominent student activist at Berkeley in 1960s, has been among the founders of many LGBTQ groups during her time in Educational politics in LA, and has been a leading advocate for LGBTQ causes in California for 50 years.

• She was Chief of Staff for LAUSD School Board Member Steve Zimmer.

• She was Policy Director for United Firefighters LA City, the firefigthers’ union.

• She was Commission Appointments Manager for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa — meaning she picked people like herself to be named to various Boards and Commissions appointed by the LA Mayor.

• She has organized on behalf of several election campaigns for Karen Bass for Mayor, Jackie Goldberg for School Board, and Barack Obama for President.

Again — with that background the residents of Los Angeles must have sure slept better in the nights following Karen Bass Delugach as a Fire Commissioner.

Corrine Tapia Babcock, Fire Commissioner.

She was first appointed in 2014, and has served as both President and Vice-President during her time as a Commissioner.

• She earned a B.A. from Georgetown University, and a certificate in real estate with a concentration in investments from the University of California, Los Angeles. She has also participated in the University of Southern California’s Ross Minority Real Estate Program and the Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs.

• She is the Managing Broker and Owner of Five Heights Realty Corp., an independent real estate brokerage company in Los Angeles.

• She is the founder of Cova Partners, LLC, a certified women/minority small business enterprise, providing back-office support to companies on construction projects in the greater Los Angeles area.

• She was a founding board member of REĀL – Real Estate Association of Latinx Professionals who awarded her the “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” award for achievements in business.

Dr. Hara was first appointed to the Fire Commission in 2013, and served continuously ever since, having been re-appointed twice. From his biographical page on the LAFD website we learn the following:

• He is a Professor of Family Medicine and Interim Associate Dean for the College of Medicine of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine, which was in 1966 in response to inadequate medical access within the Watts area of Los Angeles. He has also held positions at the UCLA medical school and Kaiser Los Angeles Center for Medical Education. He also served as a Director of Education for the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Region. He was the Kaiser Permanente liaison to the public hospitals, free clinics, health centers, and health advocacy organizations in Southern California.

• He is Past President and current Vice President of the LA Chapter of “Physicians for Social Responsibility,” the United States affiliate of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. His wife and two sons were start-to-finish marchers in the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament in 1986 starting in Los Angeles and finishing in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Woods-Gray was one of four new Commissoners named to the Board in 2013 when Mayor Garcetti removed four sitting Commissioners — including current President Hudley-Hayes. Woods-Gray has been reappointed, and served as Commission President from 2021 to 2023. Here are some of the facts from her biography:

• In 1963 she began her career as a teacher in the LAUSD Children’s Center, and later at the 24th Street Elementary School, where she worked for 32 years.

• And of course, teaching led to her involvement with United Teachers of Los Angeles, the teachers’ union. She has held various offices at the local, state and national levels representing LA and Calif. teachers. A member of the National Education Association’s Board of Directors for 8 years, and a delegate to Calif Federation of Teachers, and at AFL-CIO Conventions. She was a member of the NEA Standing Committee on Legislation and the UTLA PACE Chairperson for 6 years.

• As a union activist, she was elected in 1994 as Chairperson of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, elected Member of the California State Democratic Central Committee, and the California Democratic Party Executive Committee. She was the person of color ever elected Chairperson of the LA County Democratic Central Committee.

• She was appointed to the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment by LA Mayor James Hahn; Vice President and Acting President of the same under Mayor Villaraigosa; and was appointed by the LA City Council President Eric Garcetti to the LAUSD Redistricting Commission.

• 2005 Los Angeles Pioneer Women of the Year,

• 2004 CTA Teacher in State Politics Award,

• 1989 and 1998 CTA/UTLA Who Award,

• 2002 A&E Biography Community Heroes Exhibit,

• 2006 UTLA Women’s Committee Woman of the Year,

• 2006 LAAAWPAC Power PAC Award,

• 2007 New Frontier Democratic Club Outstanding Leadership Award, National Council of Negro Women, Inc.

• 2010 Distinguished Educator Award

• 2010 California Friends Of African American Caucus’ Inola Henry Memorial Award.

When she was elected President of the Fire Commission in 2021, an interview of her went over the following goals she had while in that position:

Recent headlines about L.A. Fire Department reveal an agency charged with racism, favoritism and sexism. Another complaint is the lack of promotional opportunities for people of color….

“I definitely like to look at what the issue is and then work from there because the issue is bigger than any one person. It’s not about a person, it’s about a group culture or concept, so we need to look at the real issue and figure out ways we can solve them.

“My goal is to work with groups in our department like the Stentorians (African American firefighters group), Women in Fire Service, Los Bomberos (Latino firefighters group), and the union to build a relationship….

Also, Woods-Gray plans to focus on improving inclusivity and diversity in LAFD by recruiting more African Americans, women and people of color to the ranks….

“This is a great profession for women, but we have to work on making it inviting and helping them to stay in the program. It’s the same thing with African Americans. We need to recruit, retain and we just help them get promoted. We don’t want them to work as firefighters only, we want to see firefighters in leadership as well,” she insisted…

“The need for inclusivity and diversity is so important. I hope that having leadership that’s diverse has an impact on future recruits and the community,…”

For the immediate future, she said her agenda will be concentrated on “working on recruitment, the issues with the different constituency groups, and building a unity that I hope will transcend into developing greater policy and greater activities and a comfort level for all firefighters that the department belongs to them and it’s not just some people who get access. Everybody will have access to the benefits of LAFD,” said Woods-Gray.

This collection of 5 individuals, as noted above, are “charged with overseeing and making policy for the City of Los Angeles’ Fire Department…”

There isn’t a single aspect of the background of any of them that has anything to do with seeing the LAFD as a public safety agency whose first obligation it is to see that part s of Los Angeles don’t burn to the ground.

And I haven’t even touched yet the longstanding questions/allegations about the false and fraudulent entries in the various biographies of those listed above.

Democrat Party political madness in California.

More to come.