The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) finds itself at the center of a growing controversy, with its CEO Janisse Quiñones under scrutiny following reports that the Santa Ynez Reservoir was offline and critical fire hydrants were inoperable during recent wildfires. Quiñones, hired in May with a $750,000 salary, is now facing accusations from insiders at the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) of neglecting essential infrastructure during one of the most fire-prone seasons in Southern California. If the allegations prove true, it’s a staggering oversight from an agency tasked with ensuring public safety.
According to LAFD sources, Quiñones is directly blamed for keeping the Santa Ynez Reservoir in the Pacific Palisades disconnected during brushfire season. This reservoir, vital for firefighting efforts, was reportedly emptied and left offline for maintenance just as wildfires began sweeping through the region. To make matters worse, the same insiders claim that multiple fire hydrants remained broken for months under her leadership. For an agency like LADWP, which operates in one of the nation’s most wildfire-prone states, this lack of preparedness raises serious questions about priorities—and competence.
Quiñones’ professional track record isn’t exactly helping her case. Before joining LADWP, she held a senior vice president position at Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) from 2021 to 2023. PG&E, notorious for its role in sparking several catastrophic wildfires, including the Dixie Fire in 2021 and the deadly Camp Fire in 2018, has become a symbol of corporate negligence in California’s ongoing wildfire crisis. That connection isn’t lost on critics, who argue that hiring someone with such a controversial background was a questionable move, to begin with.
Adding to the chaos, reports indicate that the Santa Ynez Reservoir was offline for scheduled maintenance as the wildfires began—a decision that’s being called into question given its timing. California Governor Gavin Newsom has called for an investigation into the reservoir’s unavailability and the loss of water pressure in local fire hydrants. While Newsom’s investigation is unlikely to provide immediate answers, it underscores the glaring mismanagement of resources during a time when every second counts in firefighting efforts.
The situation is a bitter pill for Angelenos to swallow. With a CEO earning a hefty paycheck, one might expect LADWP to prioritize maintaining critical infrastructure, especially during wildfire season. Instead, the department appears to have dropped the ball, leaving residents and first responders to deal with the consequences. The controversy serves as yet another example of how California’s leadership struggles to balance bureaucratic decisions with practical public safety needs, a recurring theme that has left many Californians exasperated and increasingly cynical about their state’s ability to handle crises.
