The Daily News of Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — Ending a 35-year career with the Los Angeles Fire Department, including nearly two years as chief, Millage Peaks announced Monday he will retire on July 10.
Peaks was an outspoken critic of the bias and hazing that had dogged the Fire Department when he was named to head the agency in August 2009. During his tenure as chief, Peaks, 59, launched a controversial overhaul of how the Fire Department handles emergencies as he dealt with the fallout of the city’s budget crisis.
Peaks also oversaw the creation of a voter-approved Professional Standards Bureau, to deal with complaints against firefighters.
“He met with his executive staff this morning and said he felt this is the best time to leave,” spokesman Capt. Jaime Moore said.
“The department is emerging from fiscal turmoil, it looks like the union is close to approving a multi-year contract and that most of the issues of his command have been resolved.”
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who appointed Peaks to the top job, praised the LAFD veteran for his “unwavering commitment to his fellow firefighters and the residents of the city.
“In 2009, I was confident Chief Peaks was the right leader to manage the LAFD in the midst of the most difficult financial time the department had ever faced.”
Villaraigosa will now begin the process of replacing Peaks, who earned $260,000 a year. He’ll be eligible for an annual pension of about $180,000.
A city spokeswoman said the city will begin accepting applications for Peaks’ successor.
Peaks was known for his independent streak, which became evident when Villaraigosa and other city officials ordered him to eliminate staff assistants in a budget-cutting move.
At a news conference, Peaks said he disagreed with the order. He then devised a deployment plan that ended rolling brownouts at fire stations citywide and enhanced the department’s ability to respond to medical emergencies. The plan also retained most of the staff assistants.
Pat McOsker, president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, harshly criticized the plan when it was announced.
Neither McOsker nor other UFLAC officials were available Monday to comment on Peaks’ retirement.
Villaraigosa said Peaks provided the type of leadership he was looking for in his selection.
“As the author of the city’s first new fire deployment plan in over 40 years, he created a plan that will allocate resources more efficiently and effectively to ensure that our city is safe and our residents protected,” Villaraigosa said. “He also helped develop an automated system for ambulance billing and an e-learning program to train firefighters.”
Peaks was the second African-American to lead the 3,500-member department. He succeeded Douglas Barry, the agency’s first African-American chief.
When he was promoted from battalion chief to the top spot, the department had been wrestling with internal problems over hazing and discrimination.
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