Los Angeles’ $750,000-a-year water chief is now at the center of a growing controversy over missteps that, according to fire department insiders, worsened the devastating Palisades Fire. Janisse Quiñones, the embattled CEO of the Department of Water and Power (LADWP), allegedly knew for months that a vital reservoir was offline and key hydrants were malfunctioning issues that left firefighters scrambling without water.
Mayor Karen Bass greenlit the hefty salary for Quiñones in May, nearly doubling her predecessor’s pay, in an effort to “attract private-sector talent.” Now, that gamble is being questioned as sources inside the LA Fire Department (LAFD) pin blame for critical water shortages on the department she leads.
Past Ties to Wildfire Scandals Surface
Before stepping into her role at LADWP, Quiñones held top positions at PG&E, the utility giant that filed for bankruptcy due to wildfire liabilities. From 2021 to 2023, she served as a senior vice president at the company whose power lines ignited California’s second-largest wildfire, the 2021 Dixie Fire.
PG&E also faced a $13.5 billion legal settlement over the 2018 Camp Fire. When it filed for bankruptcy in 2018, the utility’s estimated wildfire liabilities totaled a staggering $30 billion. Quiñones joined the company in April 2021 as Senior Vice President of Gas Engineering, later shifting to Senior Vice President of Electric Operations in July 2022 before exiting in December 2023.
Reservoir Left Empty During Brushfire Season
According to DailyMail.com sources, Quiñones oversaw the shutdown and draining of the Santa Ynez Reservoir, capable of holding 117 million gallons of water right in the middle of brushfire season. When the Palisades Fire erupted this week, that key water source was unavailable.
The shutdown was meant to repair a torn reservoir cover that exposed water to the elements, potentially affecting its potability. This situation, first reported by the LA Times on Friday, left firefighters without adequate water to fight the flames.
“Would Santa Ynez have helped? Yes, to some extent. Would it have saved the day? I don’t think so,” said former DWP General Manager Martin Adams, acknowledging the reservoir’s potential value but downplaying its ultimate impact. He added the reservoir had been offline “for a while” but admitted he didn’t know the exact date.
However, a current LAFD insider disagreed, telling DailyMail.com, “had it not been closed they probably would have been ok and had enough water for the fire.”
Broken Hydrants a ‘City-Wide Problem’
Firefighters weren’t just battling flames, they were battling the water system. Hydrants across the Palisades reportedly failed to deliver water when firefighters needed it most. Sources blame LADWP’s long-standing negligence.
A well-connected former senior LAFD officer said, “Yearly, the fire department goes out and checks every hydrant. For my entire career we would do this once a year then send in a report to our Hydrant Unit with all the problems we encountered. Year after year the same hydrants that had problems were not fixed.”
He pointed to hydrants near Palisades High School on Temescal Canyon. ‘One example that comes to mind were the hydrants by Palisades High School on Temescal Canyon. They were dry many times we checked them. DWP knew they had problems and it would take months to fix them.
‘It’s a City-wide known problem with DWP.’
The officer added, “Last year the yearly hydrant checks were given back to DWP because the firefighters literally are too busy on calls. I would be willing to bet DWP didn’t do this. I would love to see if they have the documents.”
Quiñones Blames Low Pressure, But Questions Remain
At a recent press conference, Quiñones acknowledged water sources ran dry by 3 a.m. Wednesday. She attributed the issue to “low pressure in the system” caused by water being used faster than it could be replenished.
Still, the explanation did little to ease mounting frustration from both within and outside the fire department. A senior LAFD official told DailyMail.com some hydrants in the Palisades were non-functional when crews attempted to use them, hydrants that had reportedly gone unfixed due to budget cuts by Mayor Karen Bass.
Budget Cuts, Memos, and Political Blowback
DailyMail.com obtained a memo sent to top LAFD officials on January 6 just one day before the fire, detailing Mayor Bass’s demand to slash another $49 million from the department’s budget. This came in addition to $17.6 million in cuts already approved by the city council.
While the Los Angeles Daily News reported a $53 million increase in the department’s overall budget for the fiscal year, $7 million of it was tied up in a separate personnel fund amid ongoing labor negotiations. The result? A real-time $17.6 million shortfall, further draining resources from frontline responders.
Veteran LAFD members argue that these financial juggling acts have led to fewer firefighters on the ground over the years, further weakening the city’s emergency response capacity.
Scandal-Plagued LADWP Still Under Watch
Quiñones inherited a department already under fire. In 2022, former LADWP General Manager David Wright was sentenced to six years in federal prison for taking bribes. Prosecutors revealed Wright accepted kickbacks from attorney Paul Paradis to help secure a $30 million, no-bid contract.
Worse, Paradis was simultaneously representing both the city and claimants in lawsuits tied to a disastrous 2013 billing system rollout that led to inflated utility bills and multiple class-action suits. In 2023, Paradis received a three-year prison sentence for his role in the corruption.
Despite these scandals, city officials maxed out their hiring budget to recruit Quiñones, a move that has sparked renewed skepticism in the wake of the Palisades blaze.
As flames consumed homes and water ran out, many Angelenos were left asking: How did this happen and who should be held accountable?
