LA County Office of Emergency Management employee files lawsuit, claims retaliation for speaking out on Eaton Fire response

LOS ANGELES () — A senior employee in Los Angeles County’s Office of Emergency Management has filed a lawsuit, alleging he faced retaliation after blowing the whistle on the county’s response during the Eaton Fire.

The employee, Nicholas Vaquero, previously spoke with 7 On Your Side Investigates back in March. Vaquero served as the Emergency Operations Center director during part of the county’s response to the wildfires that erupted on Jan. 7, 2025.

During that interview, Vaquero alleged that a now-retired Office of Emergency Management supervisor was seen sleeping while on the overnight shift as Altadena burned.

“They told me that he was sleeping,” Vaquero said when asked what staff members who worked the overnight shift had told him.

“So if you were to take it in terms of the military, it would be like having the commanding officer be AWOL during a major battle,” Vaquero told 7. “You’re not making the calls on evacuations; that is done by law and fire, but you are overseeing the unit that’s pushing the button to send out the alerts.”

L.A. County says the supervisor had no responsibility for issuing evacuation orders or warnings.

According to the lawsuit, Vaquero claims that after making those allegations and others, Office of Emergency Management leadership treated him with hostility.

He alleges that some of his job duties were removed, his workspace was relocated and he was excluded from leadership meetings.

Los Angeles County told 7 On Your Side it “is going to address these allegations in court” and declined further comment.

Vaquero did not speak on camera about the lawsuit, citing the advice of his attorney. However, in a statement, he said government employees should not have to choose between protecting their careers and protecting the public.

The lawsuit comes as emergency management officials across the region are preparing for high-wind conditions.