Latest news with #Quiñones
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Yahoo
Citing threats, DWP seeks to spend up to $700,000 on private security for CEO
The chief executive of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has asked the utility's board to spend around $700,000 on private security for her, citing an uptick in threats after the Palisades fire. The five-member Board of Water and Power Commissioners will decide Tuesday whether to approve the one-year private security contract for the CEO and chief engineer, Janisse Quiñones. In the wake of the Palisades fire, DWP received criticism for diminished water pressure in some hydrants and for the Santa Ynez Reservoir sitting empty for nearly a year while awaiting a repair estimated to cost about $130,000. Read more: This reservoir was built to save Pacific Palisades. It was empty when the flames came Quiñones, who took over as chief executive of the nation's largest municipal utility in May, came under increasingly personal attacks online that assailed her $750,000 salary and denigrated her as a "DEI hire" for her Puerto Rican roots. Quiñones addressed some of the commentary about her background at a DWP commission meeting last month, suggesting her critics had ignored her qualifications in order to fuel an agenda. She highlighted her decades running emergency management for the U.S. Coast Guard. "Not only do I have 20 years plus serving this country, I also have a mechanical engineering degree that I graduated with honors. I have two graduate degrees," she said. "And I happen to like to get tough jobs, and this is a tough job." Quiñones' salary is in line with top executives' salaries at the Omaha Public Power District in Nebraska and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, according to public records. A DWP spokesperson said the utility began soliciting proposals for private security to protect Quiñones before the Jan. 7 fire. Around that time, companies across the U.S. began boosting security after the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare was slain outside a New York hotel in December. In the days after the wildfire erupted, vitriol against her intensified. The utility said it "has received numerous threats" to Quiñones' personal safety, adding that some "have required direct intervention by law enforcement." The nature of those threats and police "intervention" are unclear. DWP officials did not elaborate, but a spokesperson said, "All threats were reported to LAPD." Police officials also declined to disclose any details about the alleged threats. Read more: New head of L.A. DWP will make $750,000 a year — nearly twice as much as her predecessor 'We don't comment on potential threats or ongoing investigations,' said Jennifer Forkish, LAPD communications director. An L.A. County district attorney's spokesperson said that no case has been presented to the office relating to threats to Quiñones. A spokesperson for L.A. City Atty. Hydee Feldstein-Soto did not answer whether any misdemeanor charges were filed. Under the agreement pending before the mayor-appointed DWP commissioners, Quiñones would receive protection from Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations, with at least one designated armed security agent and a driver. The contract, which would permit up to $703,577 in spending, was issued on a single-source basis, although DWP said it received two other proposals that were far more expensive. The firm "will provide security agents trained in personal safety, defensive tactics, travel security, and surveillance on an as-needed basis," according to a memo on the agreement. The firm's agents have military or surveillance backgrounds, including the special forces. The move to private security partially alleviates a strain on LAPD resources. Quiñones initially received protection from L.A. Airport Police after the Palisades fire broke out. She was then provided a detail of LAPD officers who also were protecting then-L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
08-03-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Citing threats, DWP seeks to spend up to $700,000 on private security for CEO
The chief executive of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has asked the utility's board to spend around $700,000 on private security for her, citing an uptick in threats after the Palisades fire. The five-member Board of Water and Power Commissioners will decide Tuesday whether to approve the one-year private security contract for the CEO and chief engineer, Janisse Quiñones. In the wake of the Palisades fire, DWP received criticism for diminished water pressure in some hydrants and for the Santa Ynez Reservoir sitting empty for nearly a year while awaiting a repair estimated to cost about $130,000. Quiñones, who took over as chief executive of the nation's largest municipal utility in May, came under increasingly personal attacks online that assailed her $750,000 salary and denigrated her as a 'DEI hire' for her Puerto Rican roots. Quiñones addressed some of the commentary about her background at a DWP commission meeting last month, suggesting her critics had ignored her qualifications in order to fuel an agenda. She highlighted her decades running emergency management for the U.S. Coast Guard. 'Not only do I have 20 years plus serving this country, I also have a mechanical engineering degree that I graduated with honors. I have two graduate degrees,' she said. 'And I happen to like to get tough jobs, and this is a tough job.' Quiñones' salary is in line with top executives' salaries at the Omaha Public Power District in Nebraska and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, according to public records. A DWP spokesperson said the utility began soliciting proposals for private security to protect Quiñones before the Jan. 7 fire. Around that time, companies across the U.S. began boosting security after the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare was slain outside a New York hotel in December. In the days after the wildfire erupted, vitriol against her intensified. The utility said it 'has received numerous threats' to Quiñones' personal safety, adding that some 'have required direct intervention by law enforcement.' The nature of those threats and police 'intervention' are unclear. DWP officials did not elaborate, but a spokesperson said, 'All threats were reported to LAPD.' Police officials also declined to disclose any details about the alleged threats. 'We don't comment on potential threats or ongoing investigations,' said Jennifer Forkish, LAPD communications director. An L.A. County district attorney's spokesperson said that no case has been presented to the office relating to threats to Quiñones. A spokesperson for L.A. City Atty. Hydee Feldstein-Soto did not answer whether any misdemeanor charges were filed. Under the agreement pending before the mayor-appointed DWP commissioners, Quiñones would receive protection from Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations, with at least one designated armed security agent and a driver. The contract, which would permit up to $703,577 in spending, was issued on a single-source basis, although DWP said it received two other proposals that were far more expensive. The firm 'will provide security agents trained in personal safety, defensive tactics, travel security, and surveillance on an as-needed basis,' according to a memo on the agreement. The firm's agents have military or surveillance backgrounds, including the special forces. The move to private security partially alleviates a strain on LAPD resources. Quiñones initially received protection from L.A. Airport Police after the Palisades fire broke out. She was then provided a detail of LAPD officers who also were protecting then-L.A. Fire Chief Kristin Crowley and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Palisades water supply cleared for drinking as Bass touts speed of fire recovery
Residents and businesses in Pacific Palisades will be able to safely use water this week, Mayor Karen Bass announced Thursday, touting the milestone as a sign of the speed of efforts to rebuild the devastated neighborhood. The "do not drink" notice will be lifted Friday, the two-month anniversary of the deadly Palisades fire, after engineers and experts at the L.A. Department of Water and Power confirmed the absence of contaminants in the water supply. Bass credited DWP crews for working seven days a week to restore and flush out toxic substances from the water supply, drawing a comparison to the November 2018 wildfire in Paradise, where the do-not-drink advisory remained in place until May 2020. "In the tragic Camp Fire, it took 18 months. It was done here in two," Bass said at a news conference at Palisades Recreation Center. "I'm committed to rebuilding this community at lightning speed." Janisse Quiñones, chief engineer and chief executive of DWP, said that before using water Friday, residents and businesses in the Palisades should flush their systems for at least 10 minutes, turning on all spigots, showers and faucets. Customers will receive a $50 credit on their next bill, "so you don't have to worry about the cost of running water," Quiñones said. Read more: Inside the battle to restore drinking water in Altadena and Pacific Palisades "We flushed the system all the way to the meter," said Quiñones, who called on residents to finish the flushing process inside their homes and eliminate any remaining contaminants. "Once you flush it and the water comes clear inside your structure, we know the water from the meter is clean — so you should be good." Residents and businesses will be able to drink, shower and cook with the water as they had prior to the wildfire. At the Palisades Recreation Center, Bass and city officials also highlighted progress in the recovery efforts since the Jan. 7 blaze, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed 12 people. Noting that the Environmental Protection Agency completed debris removal last week in a third of the time originally projected, Bass said that 60 properties were now in Phase Three — the permitting and rebuilding process. Bass thanked the Trump administration for providing the staff and resources "to move so quickly." Both Bass and the DWP chief reiterated their commitment to "undergrounding" power lines in the Palisades. Parts of the Palisades — including the Highlands and some streets in Castellammare — already had underground power lines. DWP engineers began planning the move about a week after the Jan. 7 fire broke out and have so far designed 4,000 feet of new underground lines that are now "ready for construction," Quiñones said. Read more: What — or who — started the Palisades fire? Two leading theories emerge as investigation intensifies "The goal is to have all of Palisades with new underground infrastructure, power infrastructure," Quiñones said. Underground lines are protected from wind, falling branches and lightning, reducing the risk of sparking a wildfire. DWP plans to place underground the 80 miles of electric lines across the Palisades area, a process that can take several years. Each mile of subterranean electric line can cost from $1 million to $4 million, and Quiñones said the utility was assessing how to finance the overall installation. Meanwhile, Quiñones said, the utility has rebuilt distribution systems and replaced 800 power poles to restore electricity to nearly every customer. As of Thursday, 143 customers in "hard to reach areas" of the hilly, coastal neighborhood remained without power, Quiñones said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
06-03-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Palisades water supply cleared for drinking as Bass touts speed of recovery
Residents and businesses in Pacific Palisades will be able to safely use water this week, Mayor Karen Bass announced Thursday, touting the milestone as a sign of the speed of efforts to rebuild the devastated neighborhood. The 'Do Not Drink' notice will be lifted Friday, the two-month anniversary of the deadly Palisades fire, after engineers and experts at the L.A. Department of Water and Power confirmed the absence of contaminants in the water supply. Bass credited DWP crews for working seven days a week to restore and flush out toxins from the water supply, drawing a comparison to the November 2018 wildfire in Paradise, where the do-not-drink advisory remained in place until May 2020. 'In the tragic Camp Fire, it took 18 months. It was done here in two,' Bass said at a press conference at Palisades Recreation Center. 'I'm committed to rebuilding this community at lightning speed.' Janisse Quiñones, chief engineer and CEO of DWP, said that before using water Friday, residents and businesses in the Palisades should flush the system for at least 10 minutes, turning on all spigots, showers and faucets. Customers will receive a $50 credit on their next bill, 'so you don't have to worry about the cost of running water,' Quiñones said. 'We flushed the system all the way to the meter,' said Quiñones, who called on residents to finish the flushing process inside their homes and eliminate any remaining contaminants. 'Once you flush it and the water comes clear inside your structure, we know the water from the meter is clean — so you should be good.' Residents and businesses will be able to drink, shower and cook with the water as they had prior to the wildfire. At the Palisades Recreation Center, Bass and city officials also highlighted progress in the recovery efforts since the Jan. 7 blaze, which destroyed thousands of homes and killed 12 people. Noting that the Environmental Protection Agency completed debris removal last week in a third of the time originally projected, Bass said that 60 properties were now in phase three — the permitting and rebuilding process. Bass thanked the Trump administration for providing the staff and resources 'to move so quickly.' Both Bass and the DWP chief reiterated their commitment to 'undergrounding' power lines in the Palisades. Parts of the Palisades — including the Highlands and some streets in Castellammare — already had underground power lines. DWP engineers began planning the move about a week after the Jan. 7 fire broke out and have so far designed 4,000 feet of new underground lines that are now 'ready for construction,' Quiñones said. 'The goal is to have all of Palisades with new underground infrastructure, power infrastructure,' Quiñones said. Underground lines are protected from wind, falling branches and lightning, reducing the risk of sparking a wildfire. DWP plans to place underground the 80 miles of electric lines across the Palisades area, a process that can take several years. Each mile of subterranean electric line can cost from $1 million to $4 million, and Quiñones said the utility was assessing how to finance the overall installation. Meanwhile, Quiñones said, the utility has rebuilt distribution systems and replaced 800 power poles to restore electricity to nearly every customer. As of Thursday, 143 customers in 'hard to reach areas' of the hilly, coastal neighborhood remained without power, Quiñones said.
CBS News
14-02-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Health experts advise to take precautions against the flu
MIAMI - For the first time in years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have declared flu season a high severity. According to the CDC, during the 2034-25 influenza season, there have been 24 million cases and 13,000 deaths so far. They said it is serious. That is why Dr. Jessica Quinones, an emergency room doctor with HCA Kendall, recommends we should all take precautions against the flu. "You have to wash your hands. You have to be vaccinated against the flu. You can't cough on people. It's not recommended to wear masks, but it's pretty significant. If you're with someone that is sick, you might get the flu," said Dr. Quiñones. So, if you are sick, what should you do? "We prefer for you, if you have the flu, to stay seven days at home, but you have to be very concerned if you have a fever if you have to wait at least 24 hours before going out because you are very contagious," said Dr. Quiñones. Here are some of the symptoms you should look out for: High fever, muscle aches, body pain and headache. Some red flags are persistent high fever, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. Dr Quiñones said everyone is susceptible; however, it could affect some more than others. "The people that have that are elderly or have pre-existing conditions, have worse symptoms, are sick or higher risk for getting worse. But everybody's getting is we have all ages," said Dr. Quiñones. Although the CDC is declaring this winter's flu season in high severity here in South Florida, cases for both RSV and the flu are going down. That's according to two of our largest healthcare providers, Jackson and Broward Health, a good sign for us; however, Dr. Quiñones recommends an extra layer of protection.
