City Council Confirms Appointment of 9-year Police Commission Vet to Fire Commission

The City Council today confirmed the appointment of a nine-year Police Commission veteran to the Fire Commission, a move the mayor said will help bolster confidence in the Fire Department.

"I am confident that Alan Skobin will provide valuable public safety insight to the Board of Fire Commissioners," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement in response to the council's action. "With a record of more than 40 years of community and civic service, including nine years as a Los Angeles Police Commissioner, Mr. Skobin has the public safety expertise to further advance the goals of the Fire Commission and the Los Angeles Fire Department."

Villaraigosa appointed Skobin the Fire Commission in March as part of a series of steps he said would restore the Fire Department's reputation after criticism arose about its reporting of response times. See previous stories:

In addition to Skobin's appointment, the mayor announced the creation of a director of data position at the LAFD to provide a fresh assessment of the department's response times. He also ordered six ambulances returned to service and allocated about $5 million to replace an aging part of the department's dispatch system.

Skobin was first appointed to the Police Commission by then-Mayor James K. Hahn in 2003 and was the only commissioner kept on the board by Villaraigosa when he took office in 2005.

Skobin is vice president and general counsel at Galpin Motors.