The Los Angeles The water chief has been reassigned to a police security detail amid “threats” against her and water employees as wildfires rage through Southern California, two Los Angeles police sources told Fox News.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power CEO Janisse Quinones now has a 24/7 LAPD detail in response to the threats, the sources said.
One LAPD source cited the recent shooting in New York of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
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People watch the smoke and flames from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on January 7, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)
Quinones reportedly earns $750,000 a year.
She faces public criticism over Los Angeles’ fire preparedness and water distribution forest fires in the area.
“We can confirm that threats have been made against our employees, including field incidents … that occurred Tuesday evening at a downtown DWP facility,” the Department of Water and Energy told Fox News.
A view of smoke blanketing the sky from the Eaton wildfire in Altadena in Los Angeles County, California, on January 9, 2025. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We take every threat and incident seriously and immediately report them to law enforcement,” the department continued. “We do not discuss the safety measures in place at our facilities to protect our employees.”
The department added: “Our employees are working tirelessly around the clock to support the city’s response, and their work is critical to these efforts. They are an essential part of the city family, they are part of this community, and there is no place in society or in our city for any threats to their safety.”
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Fire burns during the Sunset Fire in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA, on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. (Jill Connelly/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Quinones has also previously said that she views her position through an “equality lens” and uses it to achieve social justice.
