L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and DWP CEO Janisse Quinones in front of the Palisades Recreation Center before speaking at the press conference.
An agreement is pending before the DWP commissioners, who are appointed by the Mayor, to give DWP CEO and Chief engineer Janisse Quinones private security.
If approved, the one-year contract would allow as much as $703,577 to provide a designated armed security agent and a driver for Quinones. The contract, which was issued without a formal competitive bidding process, would be given to Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations.
According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, “a DWP spokesperson said the utility began soliciting proposals for private security for Quinones before the January 7 Palisades Fire.”
The L.A. Airport Police initially provided protection for her after the Fires broke out, but then was turned over to the Los Angeles Police Department. Lack of officers has made it difficult for LAPD to continue in that role.
In 2019, LAPD had about 10,000 officers, and by June 2024, there were 8,908 officers. In January 24, 2025, the force, after retirements would be 8,620, the lowest staffing level since 1995.
Basically, there are not enough LAPD officers to assign them to the DWP CEO.
In a L.A. Times January 24, 2025, story (A Slimmed-down LAPD Seems Here to Stay. What Happens to Crime with Fewer Cops?), Councilmember Nithya Raman who voted against a police salary agreement in 2024, said, that the city needed to look at more alternative social services that can “fill a gap that we desperately need filled and reduce call volumes and demand for police services.”
Quinones is coming under fire for lack of water resources and broken hydrants in Pacific Palisades that may have attributed to the severity of the Palisades Fire. The economic costs of the Palisades and Eaton Fire have been placed as between $28 billion to $53.8 billion in property damage and may be as high as $8.9 billion in economic losses for L.A. County over the next five years.
At a press conference with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Quinones announced that drinking water had been restored to the Palisades on March 7, two months after it had been shut off.
She explained that undergrounding of utilities was being considered because “We know it’s NOW a high-risk area for wild fires, so it’s worth the investment.”
Obviously it would be better if Janice Quinones would be removed from her position for gross incompetence and then she would not need private security to protect her. It is horrible that she would have to worry about her well being, but also a sign that she should scoot along. Her comments during interviews were lacking in any intelligent leadership. Her job performance is as bad as it gets. It is embarrassing that she remains employed only because lawsuits have been filed and more law suits are imminent. Now we might pay an exorbitant salary for her private security. Please use common sense and cut her loose!