The budget of Los Angeles is in the spotlight as multiple forest fires anger around the city amid revelations that Mayor Karen Bass slashed the fire department’s budget last year while prioritizing spending on the city’s homeless population.

For the 2023-2024 financial year, los angeles budgeted $837 million for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), which was about 65% the size of the $1.3 billion homeless budget.

Mayor Karen Bass cut the Los Angeles Fire Department’s budget by more than $17 million last year. He initially proposed cutting it by $23 million. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/File)

An analysis of the city of LA’s intervention last year found that about half of the homeless budget was not spent.

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From the 2023-2024 to 2024-25 budgets, the LAFD budget was reduced by more than $17 million, from $837,191,237 to $819,637,423.

Firefighters battle wind and fire as homes burn in Malibu, California along Pacific Coast Highway near Carbon Canyon Road during the Palisades Fire on January 8, 2025. (David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

Bass had proposed a larger budget cut to the LAFD, about $23 million, but it was not adopted.

FOX Business has reached out to Bass’ office for comment on the reasoning behind the cuts.

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The homelessness budget was also reduced in the 2024-2025 budget, but remained larger than the LAFD budget.

Homeless tents are seen on a Skid Row sidewalk in Los Angeles on August 16, 2023. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

Los Angeles is currently at the center of four ongoing wildfires, the Eaton, Palisades, Woodley and Hurst fires, which have consumed countless houses and businesses and claimed two lives.

The ongoing wildfires in Southern California (Fox News)

The fires have prompted evacuation orders for more than 30,000 people and come as California faces a insurance crisis after several insurers fled the state, largely due to the costs associated with wildfire losses.

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Of the 20 most destructive wildfires in California, seven have occurred in the past five years, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported. In terms of economic cost, the 2018 Camp Fire caused $10 billion in damage, the 2017 Tubbs fire cost $8.7 billion, and the 2018 Woolsey fire cost $4.2 billion.

FOX News’ Anders Hagstrom and Kristen Altus contributed to this report.