A longtime broadcast journalist is joining the Palo Alto Police Department as its first-ever public-affairs manager, the department announced Tuesday evening.
Janine De la Vega has been hired to serve as the department’s lead spokesperson and handle public communications, according to a city press release.
De la Vega comes to the position with a background in general-assignment and breaking-news reporting. She spent five years at KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, then worked at KTVU for 12 years and most recently spent about a year at KGO-TV.
Her departure from broadcast news is bittersweet, she said in a Facebook post on Monday. “I’ve laughed, I’ve smiled, I’ve cried, I’ve felt I’ve made an impact,” she said of her time in TV news.
“This was a personal choice to make a career switch at this point in my life and I’m excited for the change,” De la Vega wrote.
She was selected for the non-sworn position from a pool of more than 80 applicants whom the department has been reviewing since last September. Her first day on the job was Tuesday.
“I’m confident that our residents and media partners alike will find the addition of Janine to our team enhances even further our commitment to transparency and builds on our reputation for providing critical public-safety information in a timely and factual way,” Police Chief Robert Jonsen stated in the press release. “Janine’s background and experience, coupled with her familiarity with the demands placed on today’s journalists, make her a perfect fit for us.”
She succeeds Capt. Zach Perron, who currently heads the department’s Field Service Division that encompasses patrol, traffic and special operations. He had served as public-information manager since October 2011.
Her responsibilities include writing news releases, compiling public service announcements, organizing crime prevention campaigns and updating the department’s social media channels. The agency has a substantial presence on Twitter, with 22,500 followers. It also has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nixle, Flickr and Nextdoor.
Her annual salary will be $125,000, according to the department. The public-affairs manager job was the only new General Fund position that City Manager James Keene proposed in the city budget for the current fiscal year.
De la Vega, who speaks Spanish fluently, graduated from Santa Clara University with a bachelor’s degree in communications.
Why is a full time job needed for public relations?
Why does it pay $125k?
Can’t hire a recent college grad who can write down what the police chief says?
This is crazy. There is zero traffic enforcement in the city because there aren’t enough police to do the work. Instead they waste money hiring a public affairs person who offers nothing to improve the safety of our city. Absolutely incompetent administration.
As a journalist, I am sure she has many media contacts. Does this mean that we will have more silly stories about Palo Alto on our tv news?
Joking aside, I am not sure what her day to day work will cover. I could understand that if we had a lot of major crime that someone dealing with the media would be necessary. But really, what public relations problems does a town like ours have that needs someone to manage it?
Every job has a salary based on what the market dictates. $125 is not a lot for this area. Techies fresh out of college are getting paid more than this. STOP complaining with your Million dollar salaries Palo Alto!!!
Why does PAPD need a $125,000 a year spin Doctor?
You would think that hiring a non-sworn candidate for this position would please more than cause complaints. Hiring a non-sworn candidate will get another officer potentially onto the streets, and you’d have a civilian point of view, event when it is coming from the chief. This story proves that no matter what the new story is, someone will complain.
David, you are so right. Palo Alto Online should be renamed Palo Alto Online Complaint Forum.
First of all she looks a lot nicer than captain Zach. Second she is a needed part of a bay area force. Thirdly she naturally should be paid to the city standard!5
I personally want to nominate Officer Amadeo as the next full-time media person. This is a one-year gig right? Thank you friends!