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Elon Musk - Did DEI Impact LA’s Wildfire Response? · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hey. Everybody, welcome back to the
• 0:03
  Elon Musk Podcast. This is a show where we discuss.
• 0:07
  The Critical. Crossroads the shape SpaceX
• 0:09
  Tesla X. The Boring Company and
• 0:12
  Neurolink. I'm your.
• 0:14
  Host Will Walden What do Elon Musk, raging wildfires, and the
• 0:20
  LA Fire Department hiring policies have in common?
• 0:24
  Well, this is a question that's been sparking debate across
• 0:26
  social media, as critics like Musk blame the city's diversity,
• 0:30
  equity and inclusion, or DEI, efforts for a perceived decline
• 0:35
  in firefighting efficiency. But is there evidence linking
• 0:38
  these initiatives to the spread of the flames, or is it all just
• 0:41
  social media speculation? As wildfires swept through Los
• 0:45
  Angeles, Elon Musk and hedge fund manager Bill Ackman took to
• 0:49
  social media, particularly X, to criticize LA Fire Department's
• 0:54
  DEI efforts. Musk amplified claims tying the
• 0:58
  department's focus on diversity to a failure to prevent and
• 1:01
  control fires, sharing a post that read DEI means people D
• 1:08
  i.e. However, neither Musk nor Ackman
• 1:11
  presented evidence directly connecting DEI.
• 1:14
  She gave us to the fire department's operational
• 1:16
  capacity now. The controversy also spotlighted
• 1:19
  LA Fire Department Chief Kristen Crowley, who became the fire
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  department's first female and LGBTQ leader when she was sworn
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  in in 2022, and that same year, the department established a
• 1:31
  dedicated DEI Bureau. Critics have questions whether
• 1:34
  these developments contributed to wildfire challenges, though
• 1:38
  no direct link between Crowley's relationship of leadership or
• 1:42
  DEI efforts and the severity of the wildfires has been
• 1:45
  established now. On her podcast, Megyn Kelly
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  harshly criticized Crowley, claiming she prioritized
• 1:52
  diversity efforts over operational firefighting
• 1:55
  measures. She said she has made not
• 1:59
  feeling the fire hydrants top priority, but diversity.
• 2:03
  Kelly said in a now viral clip that Musk and Ackman shared.
• 2:07
  However, multiple reports clarify that responsibility for
• 2:10
  maintaining water supplies, including fire hydrants, falls
• 2:13
  to the city's Department of Water and Power, not the fire
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  department. Actually Now, the right wing
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  social media account Libs of TikTok also targeted Crowley,
• 2:21
  posting content about her participation in LGBTQ pride
• 2:25
  events and criticizing her leadership.
• 2:28
  Now, these posts gain millions of views.
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  Further fueling the criticism, Libs of TikTok, which has faced
• 2:33
  prior suspensions for accusations of hate speech,
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  asserted that their posts were factual despite the platform's
• 2:39
  policy violations. Now, commenters like Matt Walsh
• 2:43
  echoed similar sentiments, claiming the LAFD deliberately
• 2:47
  excluded white men from firefighting roles.
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  Walsh offered no evidence to support his But though the fire
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  department has indeed voiced a commitment to hiring and
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  retaining a more diverse workforce now, some social media
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  users pointed to a decades old claim by radio host Adam
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  Corolla, who testified before Congress in 2017, that he was
• 3:08
  denied a firefighting job in LA in the 80s for not being, quote,
• 3:12
  black, Hispanic or a woman. Now, Corolla's anecdote predated
• 3:18
  both Crowley's tenure and the formation of the DEI Bureau by
• 3:22
  decades, rendering it irrelevant to current LA Fire Department
• 3:26
  practices. LA debate even spilled into
• 3:29
  televised political discussions. And during ACNN segment, Jasmine
• 3:33
  Crockett, representative Democrat for Texas, pushed back
• 3:36
  against conservative commentator Scott Jennings, who criticized
• 3:39
  the LA Fire Department's diversity efforts.
• 3:42
  Crockett expressed frustration over the persistent blame placed
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  on DEI, she said. I am so tired of people acting
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  as if white men are the only ones capable.
• 3:51
  CNN anchor Abby Phillip pressed Jennings further, questioning
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  the connection between DEI and the department's ongoing battle
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  with what was described as a historic fire.
• 4:02
  Now, despite the criticisms, there's no indication that
• 4:05
  Crowley neglected fire prevention efforts in favor of
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  diversity initiatives. Upon her appointment, Crowley
• 4:10
  told the LA City News, Science or Service that her first
• 4:13
  priority would be strengthening communication with her command
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  staff. The LA Fire Department's 2023 to
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  2026 Strategic Plan listed department's primary goals as
• 4:22
  maintaining operational readiness, enhancing firefighter
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  safety and well-being in improving workplace conditions
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  while promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
• 4:32
  And that's another goal, and it ranks 3rd on the list now.
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  Crowley emphasized the importance of emergency
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  response, stating her commitment to delivering exceptional public
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  safety and emergency services. The department's focus also
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  includes leveraging technological advancements and
• 4:48
  fostering collaboration. Now, in March of 2023, the LA
• 4:51
  County Board of Supervisors approved policies aimed at
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  increasing workforce diversity at the LAFD.
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  Chair Janice Hahn described the measures as a road map for how
• 5:01
  we are going to hire more women and people of color.
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  And these policies included adopting an entrance exam
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  grounded in equity research, forming ADEI committee to guide
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  hiring practices in conducting diversity surveys and accident
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  reviews. Now, if you're on a podcast
• 5:17
  platform that allows you to comment, I would strongly urge
• 5:21
  you to let me know what you think about this and also share
• 5:24
  this episode so you can get other people's opinions on this
• 5:27
  because it's important that we have this discussion now.
• 5:30
  According to the department's strategic plan, though,
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  Crowley's diversity goals include providing DEI training
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  to employees, expanding recruitment in underserved
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  communities, and offering test preparation workshops.
• 5:41
  However, these initiatives were framed as complimentary to, not
• 5:45
  substitutes for the department's primary mission of firefighting
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  and emergency response. So no, some social media posts
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  labeled Crowley ADEI hire, implying she was appointed
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  solely based on her identity rather than our qualifications.
• 6:00
  Over. Crowley's extensive career with
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  the LAFD spans 22 years, during which she held roles as
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  firefighter, paramedic or firefighter, a paramedic, fire
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  inspector, captain and deputy chief before becoming the
• 6:12
  department's leader. Now, critics remain divided
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  whether DEI efforts have a place in public safety, and supporters
• 6:20
  argue that fostering a more inclusive workforce enhances
• 6:23
  morale and community engagement. Opponents, particularly in the
• 6:27
  context of high stakes emergency services, question whether such
• 6:30
  initiatives detract from operational priorities.
• 6:39
  Hey, thank you so much for listening today.
• 6:41
  I really do appreciate your support.
• 6:43
  If you could take a second and hit the subscribe or the follow
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• 6:49
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  tremendously and you'll never miss an episode.
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• 7:01
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  Stage 0 and please take care of yourselves and each other and
• 7:09
  I'll see you tomorrow.