Adam Carolla Says He Was Rejected From LA Fire Department Because Of His Race

The devastating fires in and around Los Angeles have created intense discussion about the underlying cause, lack of preparation and the misplaced focus of the city’s leadership. 

There are any number of examples: the fact that the mayor of LA cut over $17 million from the Fire Department’s budget, with some reportedly redirected to providing housing and resources to illegal immigrants is one. Another is that California and local offices have steadfastly ignored or refused fire management techniques because of objections from environmentalist groups.

Most reasonable people would also assume that for something as important as fighting fires, politics would take a backseat to creating the most prepared, efficient, effective force possible. But reasonable people generally don’t exist in Los Angeles government.

One such tragically hilarious example came 8 years ago in Congressional testimony from comedian and podcast host Adam Carolla. Carolla explained that he applied to be a firefighter for Los Angeles earlier in his life and was told he had to wait 7 years to return to take the examination because he wasn’t a member of a racial or gender minority.

“Geez. I want to talk about my white privilege so badly,” he said. “I graduated North Hollywood High with a 1.7 GPA and could not find a job. I walked to a fire station. I was 19 and living in the garage of my family home and my mom was on welfare and food stamps. I said, ‘Can I get a job as a fireman?’ and they said, ‘No, because you’re not black, Hispanic or a woman and we’ll see you in about 7 years.’”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 8: A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire while it burns homes at Pacific Coast Highway amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.  The fast-moving wildfire has grown to more than 2900-acres and is threatening homes in the coastal neighborhood amid intense Santa Ana Winds and dry conditions in Southern California. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

Adam Carolla’s Story Sadly Reflective Of Misplaced Priorities

Carolla continued, saying that he did eventually go back roughly 7 years later, and asked a “young woman of color” how long she’d been waiting. Her experience was a little bit different.

“I had a young woman of color standing behind me in line, and I said to her, ‘Just out of curiosity, when did you sign up to become a fire man?’ … she said, ‘Wednesday.’ That is an example of my white privilege.”

There is, of course, no reason why racial preferences should play any part in a fire department. Excellent firefighters can and do come from every single possible background. What is a problem though, is when identity politics becomes the sole focus of hiring. As apparently happened with Carolla and LAFD.

Nobody knows if the disastrous Palisades Fire and the others burning around the region would have been handled better if the fire department and the city of LA focused on more important factors than identity and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. But raising those questions is the inevitable consequence of telling the public that you’re putting political ideology first and everything else last.