The Aporia · An apology is not enough — the LADWP is badly run, lawless and needs serious overhaul

An apology is not enough — the LADWP is badly run, lawless and needs serious overhaul

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CA Post Editorial Board. (2026, October 13). An apology is not enough — the LADWP is badly run, lawless and needs serious overhaul. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/10/12/opinion/ladwp-apology-is-long-overdue-and-its-not-enough/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

The LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has apologized for delays in rebuilding after last year's fires but continues to face criticism for its mismanagement and disregard for local concerns. Specifically, the department is under scrutiny for leaving a reservoir empty before the fire and allegedly causing another fire afterward. LADWP also used eminent domain to seize land for a power substation despite community opposition, then occupied it without proper permits or environmental assessments during reconstruction efforts post-fire. Critics argue that the utility's actions show poor governance and suggest a need for significant reform beyond mere apologies.

Written by AI on 2026-10-13, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP) recently issued an apology for delays in rebuilding after a devastating fire but has faced ongoing scrutiny for its poor management. In 2021, the department allowed the Santa Ynez reservoir to sit empty before a major fire, which was exacerbated by the LADWP's failure to maintain water supply and prevent secondary fires. The former CEO, Janisse Quiñones, left LA to head a power company in Puerto Rico after receiving a leadership award despite these issues. Now, residents are suing the LADWP for various failures including maintenance and permitting irregularities. Despite this scrutiny, the department continues problematic practices like disruptive construction work without regard for community needs or safety. The situation highlights broader governance problems within the LADWP that extend beyond just operational inefficiencies.

Written for “LADWP Management Criticism” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 5% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Deadly Santa Ana winds return to fire-scarred LA — but have officials learned anything? Different event

New York Post

⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 20 claims Outlet record 66/100

“The articles discuss different aspects of water management and firefighting preparedness in LA but do not describe the same specific incident.”

Utility giant apologizes for leaving LA’s fire-ravaged families in rebuilding hell Different event

New York Post

Hedges 1 of 14 claims Outlet record 66/100

“While both articles discuss the LADWP's apology for delays in rebuilding after the Palisades Fire, Article B also mentions prior criticism of the department's management and reservoir mismanagement before the fire.”

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1 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

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articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

CA Post Editorial Board

65 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 But socialist City Councilwoman Nithya Raman is an extremist who will make things even worse.

2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Experienced Karen Bass is a far better vote than radical socialist Nithya Raman in the LA mayoral race

🔮 Instead, it will only link a couple of towns in the Central Valley, at a cost of over $200 billion, by 2032 at the earliest.

2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Steve Hilton has the only good idea for California’s failed fake train dreams

🔮 And if the 20,000 number — which Essayli called “the floor” — turns out to be to accurate, that would be an even more explosive revelation about how far our elections have fallen.

2026-10-25 · assertive framing · Despite Rob Bonta’s dastardly push to stop voter ID, there’s a simple way to get it passed

🔮 And parents, and not schools, may be left to grapple with years of fallout from a kid’s “exploration” of gender dysphoria.

2026-10-24 · assertive framing · Feds put California school districts’ ‘TMI’ student questionnaires on notice

🔮 The socialist city councilwoman, who’s running to “fail up” to the mayor’s office, has proposed a new plan that has the potential to incur new, hampering costs on a city already suffering from a $1 billion budget deficit.

2026-10-23 · assertive framing · The real reason ‘Rubber-stamp’ Raman wants more wildly expensive public toilets

🔮 They exploited the most vulnerable — so they could live large on taxpayers’ money.

2026-10-22 · assertive framing · California’s $2 billion medical fraud shame hid in plain sight — all we had to do was look

🔮 When will Gavin Newsom and his party learn that fraud doesn’t pay?

2026-10-22 · assertive framing · California only has itself to blame for Medicaid funding cuts due to fraud

🔮 So when Bratton says Nithya Raman would be making a terrible mistake if she were to follow through on her campaign pledge to fire current LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, that ought to count.

2026-10-21 · assertive framing · LA voters, and Nithya Raman, should listen to top cop’s warning

🔮 The feds called “Operation Protect the Vote” the largest voter fraud bust in state history. And it underscores a basic truth in California: Fraud of all kinds has run amok for years; it needs to end; and state voters in November would do well to support Prop. 39, the Voter ID act — to help ensure that at least part of it does.

2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Inside Democrats’ absurd push to downplay noncitizen voting and block Voter ID

🔮 But the state allocated $368.7 million to developers to build dense, low-income housing projects, without any guarantee fire victims would benefit.

2026-10-19 · assertive framing · State sends wildfire aid to low-income housing while fire victims fight for their homes

Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.

Also by CA Post Editorial Board

Experienced Karen Bass is a far better vote than radical socialist Nithya Raman in the LA mayoral race

2026-10-29 · New York Post

Steve Hilton has the only good idea for California’s failed fake train dreams

2026-10-26 · New York Post

College profs go gloriously old school to fight disturbing new trend sweeping schools

2026-10-26 · New York Post

Despite Rob Bonta’s dastardly push to stop voter ID, there’s a simple way to get it passed

2026-10-25 · New York Post

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 65 articles by CA Post Editorial Board →

Claims (21 extracted, 1 hedged)

The LA Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has finally apologized. asserted

Department → apologize → Water

Well, at least that’s something. asserted

that → ’ → ?

The LADWP infamously let the Santa Ynez reservoir sit empty atop Pacific Palisades for months before the fire struck. asserted

fire → let → months

Its CEO at the time, Janisse Quiñones, prioritized wokeness over water. asserted

CEO → prioritize → water

After the fire, astonishingly, she won a leadership award — then promptly left town to take over the power company in Puerto Rico. asserted

she → win → Rico

(Haven’t the people of Puerto Rico suffered enough?) asserted

people → suffer → Rico

LADWP now faces several lawsuits by the residents of Pacific Palisades — for failing to maintain the water supply in the reservoir, and for allegedly allowing a secondary fire to ignite, among other claims. uncertain

fire → face → claims

You’d think a utility facing that kind of scrutiny would clean up its act. asserted

utility → think → act

LADWP has been using the temporary absence of the Palisades community to do what it wants, whenever it wants. Digging trenches, putting up ugly steel poles, laying cables that create new hazards — you name it. asserted

you → use → it

In his apology, LADWP Interim General Manager Dave Hanson said that he was committed to providing better service — thanks to the LADWP’s new “one-stop shop” in the Marquez Knolls area, the Palisades Inspections and Permitting Support Center (PIPSC). asserted

he → say → area

LADWP seized it through eminent domain in the early 1970s to build a power substation, but the community opposed it, because of the elementary school next door. asserted

community → seize → school

After the fire, LADWP moved onto the site with trucks. asserted

LADWP → move → trucks

Without telling the community, without permits, without an environmental impact statement, the LADWP moved mountains of dirt onto the site, set up offices in trailers, and paved it over with asphalt. asserted

LADWP → tell → asphalt

The community was told that the new site was “temporary.” asserted

site → tell → ?

Residents report that the facility is as useless as it is ugly. asserted

it → report → ?

When they go there, no one seems to be able to answer questions about anything. asserted

one → go → anything

Meanwhile, up in Sacramento, LADWP managed to convince Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a law, SB 1153, shielding the utility from liability for water shortages during wildfires. asserted

LADWP → manage → wildfires

And just this week, LADWP told Pacific Palisades residents to conserve water, because of two ruptured water mains. asserted

LADWP → tell → mains

The LADWP is badly run. asserted

LADWP → run → ?

It needs a serious overhaul. asserted

It → need → overhaul

An apology is long overdue — and it’s not enough. asserted

it → ’ → ?

An apology is not enough — the LADWP is badly run, lawless and needs serious overhaul

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Claims (21 extracted, 1 hedged)