Severe wildfires started burning through portions of Los Angeles on January 7th, leaving massive havoc in their wake. Months before the fires broke out, the LAFD’s funding had been reduced by $17.6 million. With concerns about ineffective emergency response abilities expressed by the city’s fire chief just a month before, the decision came under much more criticism when the flames erupted. However, for the 2025–26 fiscal year, the LAPD was given a budget increase of $160.5 million, for a total budget of $2.14 billion. The fire department’s funding cut was not the only element that made it difficult to limit the fires, but many think that this choice had a significant impact on the LAFD’s ability to handle the situation.