Officials at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) were forced to use taxpayer-funded fires before their fire hydrants ran dry in the fight against large-scale fires in the area, according to an analysis by government transparency group Open the Books. He is said to have amassed a huge salary.
Eight of Los Angeles’ top 10 highest-paid city employees work for LADWP. According to According to OpenTheBooks analysis. The department saw “numerous” fire hydrants in its jurisdiction run dry overnight as firefighters tried to extinguish the blaze. raging fire Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed and the situation remains out of control. According to In the Los Angeles Times.
“There was a huge demand for our system at Palisades, and we pushed it to the extreme,” said LADWP CEO Janice Quiñones. said Wednesday. “We saw demand four times higher than normal for 15 straight hours and water pressure dropped.” (Related: James Woods cries on live TV over escape from devastating wildfires raging across California)
A McDonald’s restaurant is bathed in embers during the Eaton Fire in Pasadena, California, on January 7, 2025. (Photo by Josh Edelson/AFP, Getty Images)
Mr. Quiñones took the top job at LADWP in May 2024 with a salary of $750,000. According to Go to local outlet ABC7. Her compensation package represented a significant step up from her predecessor, and Los Angeles City Council officials said at the time that they needed to do more to attract quality talent from the private sector, especially given the challenges of meeting green energy goals. He said he needed a high salary.
Quiñones is not the only LADWP employee making a lot of money.
LADWP stevedore Mark Chambers received a whopping total of $857,458. — This includes salary, overtime and other wages— Kenneth McCrank, also a cargo handler, earned nearly $787,000 that year, according to OpenTheBooks. Gary Caribau, LADWP’s electrical service manager, earned more than $782,000 in 2023.
Elsewhere in the department, electrical distribution mechanic William Santana earned $763,675 in 2023, followed closely by LADWP senior electrical repair supervisor Jason Contreras, who earned $763,675 in 2023, according to OpenTheBooks. He reportedly earned $763,195 in compensation.
Gregory Martin, the department’s power distribution mechanic supervisor, earned just over $740,000 in take-home pay in 2023, according to OpenTheBooks. LADWP Labor Inspector Brad Weller rounded out the top 10 list with $606,095 in 2023.
Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who has been criticized for being out of the country when the crisis exploded, will earn just over $300,000 in 2023, making her the second-highest paid person in California, according to OpenTheBooks. He became the mayor. Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Christine Crowley, who had been pushing diversity initiatives within the department for years before this week’s devastating fires, earned nearly $440,000 in 2023.
LADWP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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