P Michael Freeman

Mindful of allegations of bias within the Los Angeles city Fire Department, county Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman appeared before the county Commission for Women on Monday and said that although his department has made some strides, it must do more to hire women and minorities.

Supporters of Proposition E--the Tuesday county ballot measure that would raise more than $50 million a year for fire and paramedic services--held rallies Thursday at the Santa Clarita, Lancaster and Palmdale city halls. The supporters said that if the measure is not approved by the two-thirds majority needed for passage, about 20 fire stations would be closed and more than 200 firefighters and paramedics laid off.

Firefighter Gonzalo Salgado is suing the Los Angeles County Fire Department, alleging retaliation and hostile treatment after he told colleagues to stop making derogatory conversation about another firefighter perceived to be gay. In the case scheduled to go to trial today, Salgado said that in 2000, after he confronted some of his co-workers at the Temple City fire station about their comments, fellow firefighters made Salgado a target of "ongoing and systematic" mistreatment.

Faced with an $11-million budget shortfall, Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman has ordered a fire station in the San Fernando Valley closed, instituted a hiring freeze and plans to eliminate 60 non-firefighter jobs.

Worried that first responders cannot connect with one another during a major disaster, local officials pushed federal lawmakers and the White House this week to fund upgrades to the patchwork of emergency communications systems across Los Angeles County. Sheriff Lee Baca and L.A. County Fire Chief P.

Appearing before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said his department is working quickly to improve communications and training procedures to prevent the kinds of problems that hampered firefighters during the deadly 1993 Calabasas / Malibu fire.

In an effort to prevent the type of massive fire damage that devastated Glendale and Santa Barbara last summer, the County Board of Supervisors is prepared to pass an ordinance that fire officials say would strengthen building requirements in much of the county, including Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains. Three supervisors on the five-member board said last week that they will support a recommendation by county Fire Chief P.

Los Angeles County supervisors on Tuesday took the first step toward adding a fire protection tax to the property tax bills of 2.7 million residents in 50 cities and many of the unincorporated regions in the county. On a 3-1 vote, with Supervisor Mike Antonovich dissenting, the board set a public hearing on the issue for July 25. If the tax is approved by the board, $13.99 would be added to property tax bills in the fall. The amount could rise to $55.