An anonymous letter sent to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors alleges that years of leadership decisions and declining preparedness inside the county’s Office of Emergency Management contributed to failures during the Eaton Fire.
KNX News could not confirm who wrote the roughly 4,000-word letter, which is signed “On behalf of the 19 deceased.” But multiple sources familiar with the agency, including an OEM official with firsthand knowledge, corroborated a number of its claims and said the level of detail suggests it was written by someone with inside knowledge of the office.
The letter’s central argument is that the problems exposed during the Eaton Fire were not isolated mistakes, but the foreseeable result of years of management decisions involving staffing, training, planning and workplace culture.
Among the most significant allegations is that only two OEM employees had been fully trained to operate the county’s new emergency alert system before the fire, and that both were attending an out-of-state training program when the disaster began.
Previous reporting and the county’s after-action review have established that training on the new system was limited. The anonymous letter provides a more specific account, alleging that other employees had to be trained while the emergency was already underway.
The letter also alleges that multiple people saw the director of the county Emergency Operations Center dozing or asleep during the response. A previously disclosed whistleblower complaint had alleged that the official was placed in the role despite earlier instances of falling asleep at work.
The letter also raises questions about shelter operations after thousands of people were displaced. It alleges that county or state personnel recommended opening a second shelter because the Pasadena Convention Center had become badly overcrowded, but that OEM leadership overruled that recommendation.
The letter also claims the county failed to take advantage of outside assistance that was available during the response. According to the letter, experienced emergency-management personnel from neighboring counties offered to help Los Angeles County at no cost, while the California Office of Emergency Services offered warehouse support to manage donated goods. The author alleges that OEM never completed the formal requests needed to activate either resource. As donations accumulated at fire stations and other locations, the letter says the lack of a coordinated system created additional logistical problems and, in some cases, interfered with emergency operations.
Another major focus of the letter is the county’s $2 million after-action review conducted by the McChrystal Group.
The author alleges that the consultants relied too heavily on people who were not likely to challenge agency leadership. The letter says some employees with firsthand knowledge of preparedness failures were not interviewed, or that their perspectives were not reflected in the final report. The letter calls on the Board of Supervisors to examine how interview subjects were selected, whether critical perspectives were omitted and whether employees felt safe speaking candidly without fear of retaliation.
The author also questions the independence of the review, writing, as KNX News exclusively reported, that agency leadership was permitted to examine the report before it was released. The letter asks whether agency officials had any role in changing its language, findings or conclusions. County officials have refused to release drafts to KNX News.
The email describes OEM as a “toxic workplace” where employees who raise concerns are allegedly silenced or retaliated against. It claims more than 20 equity complaints have involved agency leadership and that several Black employees left the office after filing formal complaints.
KNX News has not independently verified the number or disposition of those complaints.
The letter raises additional concerns about disability planning, community preparedness, evacuation transportation, volunteer coordination and the failure to implement recommendations made after previous disasters.
The author also claims that OEM leadership repeatedly deprioritized community education, leaving many residents unfamiliar with evacuation zones and uncertain about what to do when warnings were issued.
KNX News asked the county to respond individually to the letter’s claims. The county did not provide point-by-point answers. Instead, it issued a prepared statement saying several topics raised in the open letter are being examined during a follow-up phase of the after-action review by the McChrystal Group. The county said the findings will be presented to the Board of Supervisors for consideration.
“The County remains committed to continually strengthening its emergency management capabilities in service to the residents of Los Angeles County. Throughout multiple after-action reviews, audits, investigations and reports conducted by external agencies and independent contractors, the County has been forthcoming and transparent about where improvements and enhancements need to be made–and many of these improvements have either been implemented or are currently underway,” the statement said.
Spokespeople for Supervisor Lindsey Horvath did not respond to requests for comment. Supervisor Kathryn Barger sent the following statement:
“The Office of Emergency Management plays a critical role in keeping Los Angeles County prepared to respond when disaster strikes. While I won’t comment on the specifics of an anonymous email, I remain focused on ensuring any systemic issues that could impact OEM’s mission are identified and addressed. Los Angeles County has already publicly acknowledged areas where improvements are needed, and many of the operational challenges now being discussed were identified through the County’s after-action review. I am committed to ensuring those recommendations are fully implemented so OEM is more resilient and better prepared to protect our communities when emergencies occur.”
The letter comes as county officials consider expanding OEM with additional staffing and a new public safety campus.
One source familiar with the agency told KNX News that before the county carries out recommendations to expand the office, officials should closely examine the allegations and determine whether leadership and workplace problems contributed to the failures exposed by the Eaton Fire.
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