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LA's $750k-a-year water chief Janisse Quiñones 'knew about empty reservoir and broken hydrants' months before fires!!!!
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The $750,000-a-year LA water czar is responsible for a raft of failures that contributed to the devastating Palisades Fire, fire department insiders told DailyMail.com.
On Mayor Karen Bass's orders, the city maxed out its budget to 'attract private-sector talent', hiring Department of Water and Power (LADWP) CEO Janisse Quiñones on a $750,000 salary in May – almost double that of her predecessor.
Now, Quiñones is being blamed by LA Fire Department (LAFD) insiders for leaving a nearby reservoir disconnected and fire hydrants broken for months, DailyMail.com can reveal, leading to firefighters running out of water as they battled the devastating Palisades Fire this week.
And, Daily Mail.com has learned, Quiñones past employer is also linked to fire scandals. She was previously a top executive at electricity company PG&E, which went bankrupt over liability for several massive wildfires in California.
She served as senior vice president at Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) from 2021 to 2023.
The utility company's power lines sparked the second-largest wildfire in California history, Dixie, in 2021. Its involvement in the 2018 Camp Fire cost PG&E a $13.5billion legal settlement.
The firm's liability for allegedly causing fires was estimated at $30billion when it filed for bankruptcy in 2018. It exited bankruptcy in 2020.
Quiñones joined PG&E in April 2021 as Senior Vice President of Gas Engineering, switched to Senior Vice President of Electric Operations in July 2022, and left the firm in December 2023.
Sources told DailyMail.com that since her hiring at LADWP, Quiñones oversaw the shutdown and emptying of a reservoir in the Pacific Palisades during brushfire season.
The shutdown meant firefighters battling the current Palisades Fire ran out of water faster, experts say.
The Santa Ynez Reservoir is designed to hold 117 million gallons of drinking water. But it was taken offline in recent months to repair a tear in its cover that exposed the water and potentially impacted its drinkability.
The shutdown was first publicly reported by the LA Times on Friday morning.
Former DWP general manager Martin Adams told the paper that having the Santa Ynez reservoir would have helped fight the Palisades Fire that wiped out most of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood this week.
'Would Santa Ynez have helped? Yes, to some extent. Would it have saved the day? I don't think so,' Adams said.
He said the crucial reservoir had been offline 'for a while' before the fires, but didn't know the precise date.
But a source in the LA Fire Department (LAFD) told DailyMail.com that DWP officials told them 'had it not been closed they probably would have been ok and had enough water for the fire.'
At a press conference this week, Quiñones said firefighters ran out of water in the Palisades due to low pressure in the system, because they were using water faster than it was being replenished.
A well-connected former LAFD senior officer told DailyMail.com that lack of water was already a 'common' problem, exacerbated by DWP failing to fix cutoff fire hydrants.
'Yearly, the fire department goes out and checks every hydrant,' he said.
'For my entire career we would do this once a year then send in a report to our Hydrant Unit with all the problems we encountered. Year after year the same hydrants that had problems were not fixed.
'One example that comes to mind were the hydrants by Palisades High School on Temescal Canyon. They were dry many times we checked them. DWP knew they had problems and it would take months to fix them.
'It's a City-wide known problem with DWP.
'Last year the yearly hydrant checks were given back to DWP because the firefighters literally are too busy on calls.
'I would be willing to bet DWP didn't do this. I would love to see if they have the documents.'
LADWP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A current senior LAFD official also told DailyMail.com that some hydrants in the Palisades were not working when desperate firefighters tried to use them this week, and that they had not been fixed because of budget cuts by LA Mayor Karen Bass.
DailyMail.com exclusively obtained a memo to LAFD 'top brass' sent on Monday January 6, the day before the Palisades Fire began, revealing demands from Bass to cut the department's budget by a further $49million, on top of $17.6million of cuts already voted on by the city council.
The Los Angeles Daily News previously reported that the city's overall spending on its fire department increased by $53million in the fiscal year 2024-25 which runs to this July, but that $7 million of their budget was put in a separate fund for personnel while pay negotiations were still being hashed out, leading to the $17.6million accounting shortfall.
Department veterans told DailyMail.com that the net effect of the budget machinations has meant less firefighters on the ground for years.
The under-fire LADWP was only just recovering from a series of major scandals, including in 2022 when its former General Manager David Wright was sentenced to six years in federal prison for bribery.
Wright took bribes from lawyer Paul Paradis to help secure a $30million, three-year, no-bid LADWP contract for the lawyer's company, according to federal prosecutors.
Compounding the corruption, Paradis was also taking nearly $2.2million in illegal kickbacks from a complex scheme where he simultaneously represented LADWP and residents suing the department over a billing debacle.
DWP implemented a new billing system in 2013 that inaccurately inflated utility bills, sparking class-action lawsuits.
Paradis represented the city as Special Counsel, but was simultaneously representing claimants in the billing debacle, and colluded to get a favorable payout for himself and clients. He was sentenced to three years in prison in 2023.
www.dailymail.co.uk
On Mayor Karen Bass's orders, the city maxed out its budget to 'attract private-sector talent', hiring Department of Water and Power (LADWP) CEO Janisse Quiñones on a $750,000 salary in May – almost double that of her predecessor.
Now, Quiñones is being blamed by LA Fire Department (LAFD) insiders for leaving a nearby reservoir disconnected and fire hydrants broken for months, DailyMail.com can reveal, leading to firefighters running out of water as they battled the devastating Palisades Fire this week.
And, Daily Mail.com has learned, Quiñones past employer is also linked to fire scandals. She was previously a top executive at electricity company PG&E, which went bankrupt over liability for several massive wildfires in California.
She served as senior vice president at Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) from 2021 to 2023.
The utility company's power lines sparked the second-largest wildfire in California history, Dixie, in 2021. Its involvement in the 2018 Camp Fire cost PG&E a $13.5billion legal settlement.
The firm's liability for allegedly causing fires was estimated at $30billion when it filed for bankruptcy in 2018. It exited bankruptcy in 2020.
Quiñones joined PG&E in April 2021 as Senior Vice President of Gas Engineering, switched to Senior Vice President of Electric Operations in July 2022, and left the firm in December 2023.
Sources told DailyMail.com that since her hiring at LADWP, Quiñones oversaw the shutdown and emptying of a reservoir in the Pacific Palisades during brushfire season.
The shutdown meant firefighters battling the current Palisades Fire ran out of water faster, experts say.
The Santa Ynez Reservoir is designed to hold 117 million gallons of drinking water. But it was taken offline in recent months to repair a tear in its cover that exposed the water and potentially impacted its drinkability.
The shutdown was first publicly reported by the LA Times on Friday morning.
Former DWP general manager Martin Adams told the paper that having the Santa Ynez reservoir would have helped fight the Palisades Fire that wiped out most of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood this week.
'Would Santa Ynez have helped? Yes, to some extent. Would it have saved the day? I don't think so,' Adams said.
He said the crucial reservoir had been offline 'for a while' before the fires, but didn't know the precise date.
But a source in the LA Fire Department (LAFD) told DailyMail.com that DWP officials told them 'had it not been closed they probably would have been ok and had enough water for the fire.'
At a press conference this week, Quiñones said firefighters ran out of water in the Palisades due to low pressure in the system, because they were using water faster than it was being replenished.
A well-connected former LAFD senior officer told DailyMail.com that lack of water was already a 'common' problem, exacerbated by DWP failing to fix cutoff fire hydrants.
'Yearly, the fire department goes out and checks every hydrant,' he said.
'For my entire career we would do this once a year then send in a report to our Hydrant Unit with all the problems we encountered. Year after year the same hydrants that had problems were not fixed.
'One example that comes to mind were the hydrants by Palisades High School on Temescal Canyon. They were dry many times we checked them. DWP knew they had problems and it would take months to fix them.
'It's a City-wide known problem with DWP.
'Last year the yearly hydrant checks were given back to DWP because the firefighters literally are too busy on calls.
'I would be willing to bet DWP didn't do this. I would love to see if they have the documents.'
LADWP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A current senior LAFD official also told DailyMail.com that some hydrants in the Palisades were not working when desperate firefighters tried to use them this week, and that they had not been fixed because of budget cuts by LA Mayor Karen Bass.
DailyMail.com exclusively obtained a memo to LAFD 'top brass' sent on Monday January 6, the day before the Palisades Fire began, revealing demands from Bass to cut the department's budget by a further $49million, on top of $17.6million of cuts already voted on by the city council.
The Los Angeles Daily News previously reported that the city's overall spending on its fire department increased by $53million in the fiscal year 2024-25 which runs to this July, but that $7 million of their budget was put in a separate fund for personnel while pay negotiations were still being hashed out, leading to the $17.6million accounting shortfall.
Department veterans told DailyMail.com that the net effect of the budget machinations has meant less firefighters on the ground for years.
The under-fire LADWP was only just recovering from a series of major scandals, including in 2022 when its former General Manager David Wright was sentenced to six years in federal prison for bribery.
Wright took bribes from lawyer Paul Paradis to help secure a $30million, three-year, no-bid LADWP contract for the lawyer's company, according to federal prosecutors.
Compounding the corruption, Paradis was also taking nearly $2.2million in illegal kickbacks from a complex scheme where he simultaneously represented LADWP and residents suing the department over a billing debacle.
DWP implemented a new billing system in 2013 that inaccurately inflated utility bills, sparking class-action lawsuits.
Paradis represented the city as Special Counsel, but was simultaneously representing claimants in the billing debacle, and colluded to get a favorable payout for himself and clients. He was sentenced to three years in prison in 2023.
LA water chief 'was aware of broken hydrants' months before fires
The $750,000-a-year LA water czar is responsible for a raft of failures that contributed to the devastating Palisades Fire, fire department insiders told DailyMail.com.
Recruits in the new rankings
- By Todd Conner
- Iowa Wrestling
- 1 Replies
Recruits in the new rankings
We are two weeks into the high school wrestling season and new rankings have been released. Let’s take a look at our incoming recruits. Leo DeLuca has not competed yet this season due to an injury. FloWrestling has DeLuca #1 at 120 and MatScouts has taken him out of their rankings. Jarrel Miller...
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It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Cornell philosophy chair sues campus, former boss for sexual harassment
- By cigaretteman
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The chair of Cornell College’s Philosophy Department is suing her institution, its provost Ilene Crawford, its former Dean of Students Jackie Wilson, and a professor who she said obsessively and persistently sexually harassed her.
Associate Professor of Philosophy Megan Altman filed the lawsuit Dec. 16 in Linn County District Court, accusing her employer and the three named employees of sex-based discrimination and retaliation — which she said began in earnest in October 2022, three years after Altman started working at Cornell in August 2019.
Hired as an assistant professor of philosophy — teaching ethics, 19th and 20th century continental philosophy, Latin American philosophy, and feminist philosophy — Altman was promoted in 2023 to associate professor and currently serves as department chair.
In October 2022, she requested to “work a remote winter in Europe” and received approval from the department’s chair at the time. But professor Jim White — who had taught at Cornell for 35 years and was chair when Altman was hired — tried to block it, telling her, “I don’t want you to go because I’ll miss you,” according to the lawsuit.
In May 2023, Altman in her lawsuit said White told her, “I need you to need me” after noticing she had made other friends at work — compelling her to avoid his “attempts of non-professional conversations” for the subsequent summer.
When Altman returned for the fall semester in August, she said White came into her office asking, “So are we just going to continue to ignore each other?”
She left her office during that encounter — to avoid the confrontation — and said that White the next day came within inches of her face to request “an hour this week to get together.”
An attempt to “normalize their professional relationship” resulted in White posing a series of personal questions — and telling Altman on Aug. 31 that she has a “lovely face,” according to the lawsuit.
In September, White left a chocolate bar outside Altman’s office, eventually bringing it in, and texting her a poem.
“Can we please talk about this? Can we please talk?” Altman reported White said to her. “I’m so distraught. I can’t sleep. I’m torn up. Can we please talk?”
When Altman told White his behavior and advances made her uncomfortable, he expressed frustration and threatened retirement.
“On September 14, 2023, Ms. Altman heard White stomp up and down the stairs, throw objects around, shake the walls, and exclaim, ‘I can’t work with her here! If I could retire today, I would! I’m done with this department! I’m done. Everything exploded yesterday. I can’t talk about this with her here’,” according to the lawsuit.
The chair sent Altman home “for her own safety,” and Altman scheduled meetings with Cornell’s human resources director and Title IX coordinator — filing a formal Title IX complaint on Sept. 25, 2023 and receiving a “no contact order” the next day.
“(Altman) was terrified by White’s increasing and continuous sexual harassment and his strange and inconsistent behavior,” according to her lawsuit.
White moved out of his office in Cornell’s “Prall House” in November and promptly filed a Title IX complaint against Altman — which she characterized in the lawsuit as an “openly and obviously retaliatory complaint.”
“White was willing to drop charges against her if (she) agreed to drop her Title IX claim against White, underlining the complainant’s illicit purposes,” according to her lawsuit.
Cornell’s human resources director encouraged Altman to accept White’s informal offer of resolution, and the campus in January 2024 dismissed a secondary retaliation complaint she had filed against him.
In February 2024, Altman said then-Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Wilson also “pressured” her to participate in the Informal resolution process, saying, “If you go the formal route, then it’s out of my hands and you could be found guilty of sexual misconduct.
“Jim could be found not responsible. And he would be right back in Prall House and there is nothing the college could do about that.”
Although Altman eventually agreed to the informal resolution process, she reported frustration over delays and the “ever-changing process” — and decided instead to file a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, which in November 2024 issued her a “right to sue” letter.
In the lawsuit, Altman accused not only White of repeated and constant sexual harassment, but Cornell of permitting it — resulting in mental and emotional harm and anguish, anxiety, and past and future loss of wages, benefits, and emoluments of employment.
A Cornell spokeswoman declined to comment on the pending litigation and personnel matters. White did not immediately respond to an email from The Gazette.
Altman remains on the Cornell faculty as chair of the philosophy department, according to the lawsuit and Cornell. White — who first began teaching philosophy at Cornell in 1987 — no longer is listed among the faculty or faculty emeriti on the philosophy department’s web page.
Wilson, who started as Cornell dean of students in July 2022 after previously serving in the same role at the University of Alaska Southeast, left Mount Vernon in July 2024 to serve as dean of students and Title IX coordinator at College of Saint Mary in Omaha.
Cornell education professor Kate Kauper stepped in as her successor in August.
www.thegazette.com
Associate Professor of Philosophy Megan Altman filed the lawsuit Dec. 16 in Linn County District Court, accusing her employer and the three named employees of sex-based discrimination and retaliation — which she said began in earnest in October 2022, three years after Altman started working at Cornell in August 2019.
Hired as an assistant professor of philosophy — teaching ethics, 19th and 20th century continental philosophy, Latin American philosophy, and feminist philosophy — Altman was promoted in 2023 to associate professor and currently serves as department chair.
In October 2022, she requested to “work a remote winter in Europe” and received approval from the department’s chair at the time. But professor Jim White — who had taught at Cornell for 35 years and was chair when Altman was hired — tried to block it, telling her, “I don’t want you to go because I’ll miss you,” according to the lawsuit.
In May 2023, Altman in her lawsuit said White told her, “I need you to need me” after noticing she had made other friends at work — compelling her to avoid his “attempts of non-professional conversations” for the subsequent summer.
When Altman returned for the fall semester in August, she said White came into her office asking, “So are we just going to continue to ignore each other?”
She left her office during that encounter — to avoid the confrontation — and said that White the next day came within inches of her face to request “an hour this week to get together.”
An attempt to “normalize their professional relationship” resulted in White posing a series of personal questions — and telling Altman on Aug. 31 that she has a “lovely face,” according to the lawsuit.
In September, White left a chocolate bar outside Altman’s office, eventually bringing it in, and texting her a poem.
“Can we please talk about this? Can we please talk?” Altman reported White said to her. “I’m so distraught. I can’t sleep. I’m torn up. Can we please talk?”
When Altman told White his behavior and advances made her uncomfortable, he expressed frustration and threatened retirement.
“On September 14, 2023, Ms. Altman heard White stomp up and down the stairs, throw objects around, shake the walls, and exclaim, ‘I can’t work with her here! If I could retire today, I would! I’m done with this department! I’m done. Everything exploded yesterday. I can’t talk about this with her here’,” according to the lawsuit.
The chair sent Altman home “for her own safety,” and Altman scheduled meetings with Cornell’s human resources director and Title IX coordinator — filing a formal Title IX complaint on Sept. 25, 2023 and receiving a “no contact order” the next day.
“(Altman) was terrified by White’s increasing and continuous sexual harassment and his strange and inconsistent behavior,” according to her lawsuit.
White moved out of his office in Cornell’s “Prall House” in November and promptly filed a Title IX complaint against Altman — which she characterized in the lawsuit as an “openly and obviously retaliatory complaint.”
“White was willing to drop charges against her if (she) agreed to drop her Title IX claim against White, underlining the complainant’s illicit purposes,” according to her lawsuit.
Cornell’s human resources director encouraged Altman to accept White’s informal offer of resolution, and the campus in January 2024 dismissed a secondary retaliation complaint she had filed against him.
In February 2024, Altman said then-Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Wilson also “pressured” her to participate in the Informal resolution process, saying, “If you go the formal route, then it’s out of my hands and you could be found guilty of sexual misconduct.
“Jim could be found not responsible. And he would be right back in Prall House and there is nothing the college could do about that.”
Although Altman eventually agreed to the informal resolution process, she reported frustration over delays and the “ever-changing process” — and decided instead to file a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, which in November 2024 issued her a “right to sue” letter.
In the lawsuit, Altman accused not only White of repeated and constant sexual harassment, but Cornell of permitting it — resulting in mental and emotional harm and anguish, anxiety, and past and future loss of wages, benefits, and emoluments of employment.
A Cornell spokeswoman declined to comment on the pending litigation and personnel matters. White did not immediately respond to an email from The Gazette.
Altman remains on the Cornell faculty as chair of the philosophy department, according to the lawsuit and Cornell. White — who first began teaching philosophy at Cornell in 1987 — no longer is listed among the faculty or faculty emeriti on the philosophy department’s web page.
Wilson, who started as Cornell dean of students in July 2022 after previously serving in the same role at the University of Alaska Southeast, left Mount Vernon in July 2024 to serve as dean of students and Title IX coordinator at College of Saint Mary in Omaha.
Cornell education professor Kate Kauper stepped in as her successor in August.
Cornell philosophy chair sues campus, former boss for sexual harassment
The chair of Cornell College’s Philosophy Department is suing her institution, its provost Ilene Crawford, its former Dean of Students Jackie Wilson, and a professor who she said obsessively and persistently sexually harassed her.
www.thegazette.com
Recruits in action: Dec 27-28 RESULTS
- By Todd Conner
- Iowa Wrestling
- 1 Replies
Recruits in action: Dec 27-28
Incoming Iowa Wrestling recruits will be competing this weekend. Isabella Gonzales and Samantha Sachs will be at the 158-team 11th Annual Queen of the Hill in Corona, California on Friday and Saturday. I believe that is the biggest high school tournament that I have ever heard of. This is a...
iowawrestlingblog.com
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
Ann Selzer still searching for answers after final Iowa Poll badly missed its mark
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Ann Selzer still searching for answers after final Iowa Poll badly missed its mark
The pollster, whose sterling reputation took a hit when it missed the Trump-Harris result in Iowa by 17 points, said she has seen nothing in the polling data that signaled the results were offJOHNSTON — More than a month after the November election, Iowa-based pollster Ann Selzer still is searching for answers.
Full article:
Ann Selzer still searching for answers after final Iowa Poll badly missed its mark
The pollster, whose sterling reputation took a hit when it missed the Trump-Harris result in Iowa by 17 points, said she has seen nothing in the polling data that should have signaled the results were off
www.thegazette.com
Scientists Destroy 99% of Cancer Cells in Lab Using Vibrating Molecules
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Scientists Destroy 99% of Cancer Cells in Lab Using Vibrating Molecules
Scientists have discovered a remarkable way to destroy cancer cells.
www.sciencealert.com
“Scientists have discovered a remarkable way to destroy cancer cells. A study published last year found stimulating aminocyanine molecules with near-infrared light caused them to vibrate in sync, enough to break apart the membranes of cancer cells.
"What needs to be highlighted is that we've discovered another explanation for how these molecules can work," said chemist Ciceron Ayala-Orozco from Rice University.
"This is the first time a molecular plasmon is utilized in this way to excite the whole molecule and to actually produce mechanical action used to achieve a particular goal – in this case, tearing apart cancer cells' membrane."
TV Shows You Started Way After They Premiered
What are some shows that you started watching well after they first aired? I'm talking years after the series premiere. The last 2 months or so the wife no pics and I have been watching a ton of Portlandia. Somehow I had never even heard of it up until a couple months ago. I'm a huge fan of sketch comedy, so I was kinda caught off guard by how ****ing funny it was and how many actors were in it that I was familiar with. I can't get enough of it now.
Another one would be It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I had heard about it, but never watched it until the covid shutdown. Got all caught up during that, and now it's one of my favorite shows. Parks and Rec also fits the bill. I didn't start watching that until just a few years ago.
Another one would be It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I had heard about it, but never watched it until the covid shutdown. Got all caught up during that, and now it's one of my favorite shows. Parks and Rec also fits the bill. I didn't start watching that until just a few years ago.