Khloe Kardashian Criticizes Firefighter Budget Cuts Amid L.A. Wildfire Disaster

6 hours ago 6

Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors

Khloé Kardashian has some notes for Los Angeles' city officials.

On Thursday, January 9, the reality star took to her Instagram Story to re-share posts discussing the response to the ongoing fires in the area, with a particular focus on the budget cuts to the Los Angeles Fire Department implemented by Mayor Karen Bass last July.

One of the notable stories shared was a screenshot of a post made on X (formerly Twitter) from reporter Ryan Saavera which contained a photo of a notice from the L.A. Fire Chief warning the Mayor about the impact of her decision. The photo of the document, which was dated December 4, 2024, was accompanied by this caption: "L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley warned Mayor Karen Bass (D) last month the $17+ million she cut from the department's budget 'severely limited the department's capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires.'"

Khloe Kardashian
Kris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian are seen on June 15, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Kardashian recently took to her Instagram Story to share posts about the L.A. wildfires and the poor handling of emergency... RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

The Good American founder, 40, also shared posts which contained quotes from firefighters speaking on the matter. One read, "Sadly, the winds have been known for over a week, but staffing and budget cuts doesn't allow to plan and prepare and to pre-deploy as we should have."

Other posts shared by Khloé include information to send food donations to firefighters, along with a screenshot to a friend's Venmo account who will be taking a Costco run to help their local fire department.

Khloe Kardashian
A screenshot from Khloé Kardashian's Instagram story on Thursday, January 9. The star shared a bunch of stories which criticize the way the L.A. mayor and city officials have handled the ongoing wildfires in the... Khloé Kardashian/Instagram

While it is unknown if much of the Kardashian-Jenner clan has been affected by the wildfires, older sister Kim Kardashian's $70 million dollar Malibu home was reportedly close to an area of destruction along the Pacific Coast Highway due to the Palisades fire.

The wildfire, which started on Tuesday, January 7, has caused widespread damage and panic as they continue to rage. These fires, including the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades, the Hurst fire in San Fernando Valley, and the Eaton fire near Altadena, have already forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.

Other celebrities, including Spencer Pratt and Paris Hilton, have also been affected by the fires, with both of their properties destroyed by the flames. The ongoing situation has raised concerns about the effectiveness of emergency response and preparedness in light of recent budget cuts.

Read Entire Article