Let your imagination run riot . . . how much do you think LA’s “water chief” is paid?

The firefighter's union was complaining that they were underfunded, at least since May. Around 80 fire engines and trucks (engines pump water, trucks carry ladders and other things) were out of commission as the city couldn't afford repairs. People complain about "big government," then complain when the government isn't big enough to do what they want. As has been widely reported, funding for the fire department was shifted to the police, because people are more worried about crime than fires.

Should they have hired this lady at that salary? She's a C-suite executive, so they probably had to pay her a competitive rate. I think we can assume she didn't close the reservoir just for fun; it probably does need repairs that the city can't afford if they can't afford mechanics to keep their equipment running. The LA fire department responds to half a million emergencies of various types annually. They have fewer employees than they did 15 years ago, while demand has gone up 50%. At some point, "doing more with less" isn't possible.

Meanwhile, millionaires build houses on hillsides that have burned regularly since human beings first inhabited this area. Controlled burns are one way to manage this, but people don't like them when they're right next to where they live. The only solution might be private industry. If people can't get insurance (which we're seeing in Florida), they won't be able to build in those areas. As for the federal government stepping in, some shitbag Republican Congressman has proposed halting funding for California until they end Democratic policies. Sounds great! And the next time a hurricane ravages Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, or Florida, I say no funding until they legalize abortion.

Ms. Quiñones has over 25 years of leadership experience as a senior executive in utility and engineering industries and joined LADWP from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), where she first served as Senior Vice President of Gas Engineering and then as Senior Vice President of Electric Operations. In the latter, she oversaw electrical system operations and the power generation fleet, as well as the management of electrical assets that support the California Independent System Operator.

Ms. Quiñones’ experience also includes serving in the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), both full-time and in the reserves since the 2004, including as a Commander and as Deputy, Planning and Incident Management. She is an active USCG Reserve Officer and has held prior key leadership roles at Cobra Energy, including Vice President of Operations, responsible for the restoration and reconstruction projects of the transmission and distribution electrical systems in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. She also held several leadership roles at San Diego Gas & Electric, including Director of Design, Planning, Construction and Vegetation Management.

You think being ugly looking is more important than qualifications? I'm just pointing out...

Bass is not at fault here. She’s the mayor, not the fire chief. The Fire Chief is trying to shift blame. When examining Los Angeles’ fire budget, what you guys are missing is that unlike most states, California has a massive statewide fire response agency known as CalFIRE. CalFIRE, the largest firefighting agency in the world, operates networks of fire stations across the state and works on fire prevention year-round. Those planes/helicopters dropping water from the sky? They belong to CalFIRE.

I recommend you verify your facts before jumping on the 'blame' bandwagon:


https://gavinnewsom.com/california-fire-facts/


FACT: The number of CalFIRE personnel has nearly doubled since 2019 (from 5,829 to 10,741)

FACT: CalFIRE’s budget has nearly doubled since 2019 ($2 Billion to $3.8 Billion)

FACT: The budget for managing the forest (AKA “raking the forest”) is now TEN TIMES larger than it was when the Governor Newsom took office. It was a $200 million annual budget in 2018. The state has now invested $2 billion, in addition to the $200 million annually.

FACT: California dramatically ramped up state work to increase wildland and forest resilience, as well as adding unprecedented resources to support wildfire response. California officials treated more than 700,000 acres of land for wildfire resilience in 2023, and prescribed fires more than doubled between 2021 and 2023.


Broadly, there is no water shortage in Southern California right now, despite Trump’s claims that he would open some imaginary spigot.

Orange County Water District, which supplies groundwater to the north half of the county, has enough supply to carry its 2.5 million customers through the worst of any potential droughts for 3 to 5 years.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California also has an abundance, with a record 3.8 million acre-feet of water in storage. That’s enough water to supply 40 million people for a year.

Love the assumptions here. "She is conventionally attractive so she must have been hired for her looks."

To conservatives apparently you cannot be attractive and smart or qualified.

It would seem to them every attractive person is Paris Hilton.



Oh and big numbers don't mean much. The average property value in LA county (before the fires) was 800k.

So that salary doesn't really seem so outlandish.

Also sure the POTUS has a smaller salary but they also have a massive residence with an army of servants and security, a fleet of vehicles for their use, all of which is conveniently not included in that number.

You want to talk about numbers?
Overall, the L.A. fire department’s annual operating budget is nearly $1 Billion.

It makes more sense to allocate resources on a state-wide level in a state like California. LA isn't the only county in danger of wildfires. "LA's fire budget was cut by $17 million..." Well, no, the facts show:

The City Council approved the firefighter raises in November, adding more than $53 million in additional salary costs. By then, the council had also signed off on $58 million for new firetrucks and other department purchases.

“The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday confirmed the hiring of a longtime PG&E executive to head the Department of Water and Power at an annual salary of $750,000 - a sharp increase from her predecessor. KABC”

Bass is toast, and I voted for her. She was also my Congresswoman, too. I just really don’t like when mayors should go overseas. In a city, on any night, something can go horribly wrong.

just playing devil's advocate here

no doubt the water czar's influence covers hundreds of square miles and millions of people

keeping them safe and alive is a daily responsibility for someone that brings water to the citizes

but for 3/4 of a millions bucks - the citizens deserve one that can actually get the job done.

DE probleMs is WimenZ ObseZZEZZED by thEIRZ LooKz So UsuLLyz foRgeTz To DO theZ actuaLz JoBZ

Maybe LA, which is bigger than most states and pays way more to the federal government than it takes should stop giving welfare to red states that don't take care of themselves properly.

So you're saying it's a typical democratic run operation
Especially when you throw in defunding the fire department, something they need most.

LA is all about glamour. That glamour, for time being, has been decimated. Many of us are not the lest bit saddened.

wow wtf