Council confirms five nominees to Fire Commission; members debate recruitment and diversity

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously confirmed five nominees to the Los Angeles Fire Commission after a public presentation and question-and-answer session.

Nominees who addressed the council were Louise Frankel, Karina Alarcon, Jay Grodenson, Tom Curry and Roland Coleman. Each described civic or professional experience they said would inform their service on fire-department oversight matters.

Several councilmembers asked nominees about recruitment and retention of women and other underrepresented groups in the Fire Department. Councilmember Garcetti asked for ideas to increase the number of women in the ranks; nominees and some current commissioners noted recruitment and retention require targeted outreach and improvements in training and support. One nominee referenced work done in 1983 to recruit the first cohort of women into the department and said the city had learned lessons about training and candidate identification since then.

Councilmember Ridley Thomas urged incoming commissioners to attend to outstanding personnel and equity issues raised by prior audits and litigation, describing them as "substantial issues" that would be part of the commission's unfinished business.

After the public remarks, the clerk called the roll and the council recorded 11 ayes, confirming the five nominees. Councilmembers welcomed the appointees and urged active oversight and attention to recruitment, training and operational readiness.

The council did not take separate votes on individual commission actions or departmental policies during the confirmation; the approvals were for the appointments. The new commissioners were instructed to begin work and coordinate with staff on recruitment, training and diversity programs.