Janisse Quiñones will step down as CEO and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power later this month, the city said Wednesday.
Quiñones will leave the LADWP March 27 to help build Puerto Rico’s electric grid. She was born and raised in Caguas, Puerto Rico, where she will take on a leadership role supporting the modernization and
transformation of the island’s electric grid, Mayor Karen Bass’ office said in a statement.
The mayor is expected to announce details soon about interim leadership for the agency.
Bass nominated Quiñones for to lead the country’s largest publicly owned water and power utility in 2024. Before that, she was a longtime Pacific Gas and Electric executive.
Quiñones and the utility faced criticism last year for their response to the January 2025 Palisades Fire, including leaving a key water source empty in the area. The Santa Ynez Reservoir had been left empty for maintenance for nearly a year, which hampered firefighting efforts. Water hydrants were left depleted during the emergency as well, which officials attribute to the high demand for water.
The DWP launched an investigation into the empty reservoir and began enhanced efforts to protect infrastructure in Pacific Palisades during emergencies.