City Council confirms Janisse Quiñones as new GM of LADWP

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday confirmed Janisse Quiñones as the new general manager of the Department of Water and Power.

Quiñones was a senior executive with Pacific Gas and Electric for more than 25 years, and she is now tasked with leading the LADWP through the transition toward 100% clean energy by 2035.

“This council will be considering many important appointments that the mayor will be making, but very few will be as consequential as this one. Leadership of the DWP is absolutely vital to this city,” Council President Paul Krekorian said prior to the confirmation vote, adding that the utility is “in need of a change of culture to ensure that it is a place of unquestionable integrity. DWP needs a resurgence of its commitment to customer service and to ensuring affordability of rates while also being honest about the essential needs of investment in the power and water infrastructure, which we have not been keeping up with.”

Mayor Karen Bass lauded the confirmation of her appointee.

“The Department of Water and Power has made important progress toward embracing clean energy, meeting its decarbonization goals, modernizing its infrastructure to be more resilient, getting to a reliant and resilient water future and ensuring vulnerable communities have access to affordable utilities. I thank the Board of Water and Power Commissioners and the Los Angeles City Council for their unanimous confirmation of Ms. Quiñones and look forward to working with Janisse to deliver for the people of Los Angeles,” Bass said in a statement.

“This is a transformational period for the Department as we make decisions that will build toward the goal of 100% renewable energy by 2035 and I am confident that Janisse’s experience overseeing large scale organizational operations, improving safety outcomes for workers and restoring and reconstructing electrical systems following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico equip her to lead the department,” Bass said. “I want to thank outgoing General Manager Marty Adams for his contributions to these outcomes and decades of leadership to the people of Los Angeles.”

Quiñones’ $750,000 annual salary is considerably higher than her predecessor’s $447,000 wages.

“With this confirmation, I am honored and ready to serve as the next General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and I look forward to continue to get to know the LADWP family and supporting those that work so hard to deliver for the people of Los Angeles,” Quiñones said in a statement. “I know the vital role LADWP plays for Angelenos, especially in times of crisis which Los Angeles has endured recently with record rains and winds and I look forward to working closely with Mayor Bass, the Board of Water and Power Commissioners and the committed employees of the department as we move towards our commitment of 100% clean energy by 2035. Together, we will achieve our transformational goals and shore up our systems to fight climate change and deliver for the people of Los Angeles.”

Board of Water and Power Commissioners President Richard Katz said in a statement, “The Board … is excited to welcome Janisse to her new role. The wealth of knowledge she brings from her past career endeavors will be invaluable and I, along with the rest of the Board, look forward to collaborating with her on various Department projects and initiatives.”

Quiñones most recently was senior vice president of electric operations at Pacific Gas and Electric, which is one of the largest utility companies in the nation with around 16 million customers in Northern and Central California. Quiñones oversaw electrical system operations, the power generation fleet and electrical equipment that supports the California Independent System Operator.

Before that, she was senior vice president of gas engineering for PG&E and vice president of gas systems engineering for National Grid, a multinational utility based in London. She also served as vice president of operations for Cobra Acquisitions and director of design, planning, construction & vegetation management during nine years at San Diego Gas & Electric, which she started after leaving full-time military service.

Quiñones currently serves in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves as the emergency preparedness liaison officer for California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. In 2004 she was an engineering officer and worked in cities including Los Angeles, San Diego and San Juan, where she worked to help rebuild the energy infrastructure in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria in 2017.

Tuesday was Quiñones’ first official day on the job as the new head of LA’s gargantuan utility, according to Bass’ office.