Things are really getting interesting in Los Angeles now, and by "interesting," I mean in the "ancient Chinese curse" sense. As the fires rage on, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) and the mayor are coming under more and more scrutiny by the day, and more and more light is being shone in some dark corners.

In the latest example of "The British press covering stories the American legacy media won't," an exclusive story by the UK Daily Mail details cases of wrongful termination, harassment, and retaliation starting at the highest levels in the LAFD - as well as some truly idiotic staffing decisions.

Embattled Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has been accused of harassment and retaliation by a former top city official who claims she was fired for calling out her alleged misconduct and 'failures of leadership,' DailyMail.com can reveal.

Crowley, who earns $654,000-a-year in compensation and benefits, is already at the center of a recent public spat between LA Mayor Karen Bass as pressure mounts on city leaders to address the failures and mishandled response to the catastrophic wildfires that have ravaged the Los Angeles area.

Now, DailyMail.com can reveal Crowley has been named in a 14-page legal complaint filed against the City of Los Angeles in December by former LAFD Fire Administrator Jenny Park.

Failures of leadership and competence in Los Angeles seem to be spread as thick as peanut butter on toast right now; one could scarcely swing a dead cat in the City of Angels right now without hitting an incompetent civic official. But the harassment and retaliation charges, that's something new.

Park, a former deputy city attorney who rose to become the highest-ranking woman in the LAFD other than Crowley, claims the chief wrongfully fired her in December 2023 out of fear 'of being exposed' after she complained and reported her 'improper acts,' according to a court filing.

One of those acts, alleges divorced mom-of-three Park, 55, is that Crowley 'failed to repay the city for a significant overpayment she had received in error.' Crowley, was allegedly overpaid 'around $37,000,' and Park repeatedly reminded the fire chief about paying back the cash but was 'ghosted', Park's attorney Martin Aarons exclusively told DailyMail.com.

If these charges are accurate, this is not only a failure of leadership, but it also steps into criminal malfeasance. For a person who makes a salary that dwarfs the president of the United States and who is in charge of the fire department of one of the world's largest cities to knowingly retain an improper payment of five figures of taxpayers' money - that should result in prison time.

How has it come to this in Los Angeles? Well, here's a hint: the report also gives us some insight into the city's hiring priorities:

Park is described in the lawsuit as an 'over 40-year-old Asian American' who was promoted to Fire Administrator in 2018. The complaint notes Crowley is the LAFD's 'first female and gay fire chief' who was appointed in a 'closed-door process' in March 2022.

Crowley is named alongside Deputy Chief Orin Saunders in the legal complaint in which Park accuses the two of waging a campaign of harassment, intimidation, subterfuge, and retaliation against her.

Saunders is described as 'an African-American gay male', who was appointed by Crowley to the second-highest ranking position in February 2023.

This, folks, is DEI run amok.

Previously on RedState: Photos Surface of LA Mayor Karen Bass Living Her Best Life As Palisades Wildfire Exploded

OUTRAGEOUS: Before LA Burned, LAFD Was Begging for Money to Replace Broken-Down Equipment

Chief Crowley, we must note, receives a salary/benefit package worth $654,000 per year to be the first "LGBTQ woman" to be fire chief, which is notable primarily because, based on her performance, there are no other attributes that make her suited for the job.

This is what happens when a branch of government - any level of government - bases hiring and promotions on anything other than competence. Cast your optics on the criteria here - the first lesbian woman fire chief, another employee described as an "over 40-year-old Asian American," and "an African-American gay male." These attributes are paraded as though they were the primary reasons for these staffing decisions, and given the nature of Los Angeles' city government, we can believe they were. None of this would matter if the people were competent, but recent events in Pacific Palisades make a compelling argument that they are not.

Now we have a high-school-clique level harassment and retaliation issue to deal with, as well.

So, Los Angelenos who voted for Mayor Bass - is it time yet for a return to some semblance of sanity in the City of Angels?