LADWP CEO Janisse Quiñones Resigns from Her Position
Janisse Quiñones to Depart LADWP Role on March 27
LOS ANGELES – Janisse Quiñones, CEO and Chief Engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), will step down from her position on March 27, 2025. Her departure is part of a planned transition announced by the office of LA Mayor Karen Bass on Wednesday.
Quiñones has led LADWP, the largest publicly owned utility in the United States, since May 2024. After her departure, she will return to Puerto Rico to take on a leadership role focused on modernizing the island’s electric grid.
In a statement, Quiñones reflected on her time in Los Angeles, stating, “Serving the people of Los Angeles has been one of the greatest honors of my professional life. I am deeply grateful to Mayor Karen Bass and the City of Los Angeles for the trust placed in me to steward essential infrastructure that supports the health, safety, and economic vitality of our communities.”
Mayor Bass commended Quiñones for offering “steady leadership and engineering expertise” during a challenging period for the city’s utility services.
Currently, the city has not appointed a permanent or interim successor to lead LADWP.
Quiñones’ tenure included a period of scrutiny, particularly during the Palisades Fire when the department faced criticism over its response. In January 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom called for an independent investigation into water supply issues in Los Angeles County, which impacted firefighting efforts during the blaze.
Newsom expressed his concerns in a letter to Quiñones, noting, “The ongoing reports of the loss of water pressure to some local fire hydrants during the fires and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir are deeply troubling to me and to the community.”
