A Los Angeles water chief has been given a police security detail amid “threats” against him and water workers as wildfires rage in Southern California, two Los Angeles police sources told Fox News.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power CEO Janice Quinones now has a 24/7 LAPD detail responding to threats, sources said.
An LAPD source cited the recent firing in New York of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
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People watch as smoke and flames rise from the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on January 7, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Tiffany Rose/Getty Images)
Quinones earns $750,000 a year.
She has faced public criticism over Los Angeles’ fire preparedness and water distribution amid wildfires in the area.
“We can confirm that threats have been made against our employees, including incidents in the field … that occurred Tuesday evening at a downtown DWP facility,” the Department of Water and Energy told Fox News.
Smoke billows across the sky from the Eaton wildfire in Altadena, Los Angeles County, California on January 9, 2025. (Tafan Koskan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“We take every threat and incident seriously and report them to law enforcement immediately,” the department continued. “We do not discuss security measures 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 that effort. They are an essential part of the City family, they are part of this community, and there is no place. in the community or in our for any threats to their safety in the city.”
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A fire burns during the Sunset Fire in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles, California, US, on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. (Jill Connelly/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Quinones has previously said that she views her position through an “equity lens” and uses it to provide social justice.
