Los Angeles water chief given police protection amid ‘threats’ directed at her employees
The Los Angeles A water utility chief has been given police protection amid “threats” against her and water utility employees as wildfires rage through Southern California, two Los Angeles police sources told Fox News.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Executive Director Janisse Quinones now has a 24/7 LAPD detail that responds to threats, sources said.
One LAPD source cited the recent shooting in New York of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
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People look at 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.
He faces public criticism over Los Angeles’ wildfire preparedness and water distribution amid fires forest fires in the area.
“We can confirm that threats have been made against our employees, including incidents on the ground … that took place at a DWP facility in the city center on Tuesday evening,” the Department of Water and Energy told Fox News.
A view of smoke covering the sky from the Eaton wildfire in Altadena, 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 the police,” the department continued. “We are not talking about the security measures that are in place at our facilities to protect our employees.”
The department added, “Our employees work tirelessly around the clock to support the City’s response, and their work is critical to those 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 their safety.”
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A fire burns during the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills area of 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 a “fairness lens” and uses it to provide social justice.
