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President of LA's firefighter union suspended over financial audit findings
Freddy Escobar, president of UFLAC, the union representing L.A. City Firefighters.
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UFLAC Facebook video.
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Topline:
The president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City and two other union officials have been suspended from their positions by the union’s parent organization for alleged fiscal malfeasance, according to the Associated Press.
Backstory: The suspensions by the International Association of Firefighters come after an audit found more than $800,000 in credit card spending that could not be accounted for, according to the AP. Union President Freddy Escobar and two others allegedly made thousands of credit card transactions with no receipts or other documentation to justify them.
Response from union head: Escobar denied the allegations in a post on Instagram. “These false allegations are disgusting and politically motivated by those who want to attack the union and me personally and I am going to clear my name,” he wrote.
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The context: Escobar is a prominent figure in local politics — albeit behind the scenes. His union has spent millions of dollars on mayoral and City Council campaigns. Escobar has also been a critic of Mayor Karen Bass over her funding of the Fire Department in the leadup to the Palisades Fire in January. The union represents more than 3,600 members of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Possible conservatorship: In a letter to the union, the association’s president said it would be placing the union under a conservatorship to properly manage its finances, the Associated Press reported.
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