Los Angeles was hit by wildfires that destroyed homes and businesses, but the city employee in charge of the fire department was not there. He was put on paid leave in December while he is being investigated for allegedly making a bomb threat against City Hall earlier this year.
LA Recently, the FBI searched the home of Deputy Mayor Brian Williams in Pasadena, California. This was done as part of their probe into a bomb threat made against City Hall in September. Police in Los Angeles told the FBI about the case because they thought Williams was probably the “source of the threat,” according to FOX 11 Los Angeles.
The LAPD said in a statement at the time, “Because the department works with Mr. Williams, the investigation was sent to the FBI.” “The FBI remains the investigating agency.”
Williams was put on administrative leave as soon as the FBI told Mayor Karen Bass about the search, according to her office. The Associated Press says that happened three weeks before the fires broke out in Los Angeles County and burned almost four square miles of urban area.
Bass, who is 71 years old, was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana when the first flames started. President Biden sent her as part of a group to the African country to help inaugurate President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana. It didn’t take her 24 hours after the disaster to get back to Los Angeles. She left quickly on a military plane as soon as she heard about the fire.
People in Los Angeles have been very critical of her original absence and are questioning Bass’s ability to lead during the crisis. Because of this, her choice to put Williams on administrative leave is also being looked at more closely.
When asked for a statement, the Los Angeles mayor’s office did not give one.
Bass made Williams assistant mayor in February 2023 and told him to be in charge of the city’s public safety.
A local news station, KABC, said that Williams was put in charge of the city’s police, fire, Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airport, and emergency management departments. Before this, Williams was the head of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission for seven years.
During his time as deputy mayor under Mayor James Hahn, he was in charge of the Department of Transportation, Office of Public Works, and Information Technology Agency.
Dmitry Gorin, Williams’ lawyer, did not reply right away to a request for comment.
Gorin had already said in a statement that his client had nothing to do with the threat of a bomb at City Hall.
“Mr. Williams is adamantly denying the charges against him and plans to fight them with all his might.” He has not been arrested or charged, which is very important. He will continue to help the probe through his lawyers. He has worked for the government for a long time and is thought to be innocent of these charges. Gorin said last month, “We ask the public to wait for the investigation to finish and not make assumptions about the facts of this case before they are known.”
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