Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, cuts and rollbacks to Diversity, Inclusion and Equity (DEI) initiatives have been occurring nationwide. These initiatives that provided opportunities for women, people of color and other marginalized populations have been the target of numerous executive orders by Trump and rollbacks from companies including Target and Walmart.
However, even with DEI programs now under threat, executives at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) are not only continuing to hire women in their workforce but are hoping to increase the overall percentage of women employed by the department.
“In the trades and the nontraditional [female] roles, we see fewer women coming into the field, so the more awareness, communication and opportunities we showcase, the more [women] we see come into it,” said LADWP CEO Janisse Quiñones. She explained that out of the more than 12,000 LADWP employees, approximately 23% are women.
“Last year, we were at 22%, so we’re making progress, but not the progress we should be making in 2025, so we really got to be intentional about putting our resources, energy and time into this.”
To that end, to entice more women into these nontraditional roles, LADWP invited the community to its Third Annual Women’s Career and Wellness Expo at its Truesdale Training Center in Sun Valley on May 3. Dozens of utility careers were showcased to prospective job candidates, including electric station operator, field engineering aide/surveyor, water utility operator and engineering draft technician.
But the event wasn’t just a career expo for adults. Several booths had activities to keep children occupied and entertained, including Discovery Cube and DIY Girls. They could also experience what it was like to sit in the driver’s seat of an excavator or a bulldozer.
As Quiñones explained, it’s not only important to get women interested in STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – at a young age, but to get the family on board as well.
“You want to encourage your kids … to play more with tools, Legos or science projects,” she said, “and to tell them they can do anything they set their minds to.”
But more than just activities and career showcases, Quiñones further explained there needs to be representation in positions of authority to show young girls what they can achieve in nontraditional roles. Of the 14 members that make up LADWP’s executive management, half are women.
When asked about the importance of having diversity and equity within the LADWP leadership, Quiñones said, “It’s very intentional. … You have to have intentional decision-making and recruit people who are competent, experienced and committed to the goals we have, and that’s what we did.
“Women and men are leaders in different ways,” she continued. “We think very differently. Women have a very strong intuition that helps with business decisions, and I think the combination of [men and women] makes for very strong leadership.”
Nontraditional Female Roles
Berenice Barajas, a utility services specialist, was one of many women at the expo who spoke to attendees about her career. She started out as a customer service representative, initially planning to work for the department only until she earned her credentials to be a teacher.
However, after a supervisor approached her about the many benefits she could receive from the department and an open utility services specialist position, Barajas decided to apply. She got the job and has since worked both in the water and power sides of the department.
She currently works in water quality and was recently involved with the Pacific Palisades fire restoration after the area was devastated by wildfires in January.
“We were able to restore water quality within two months, which is saying a lot because usually it takes longer,” Barajas said. “My role was communicating with customers, ensuring that they were getting the message. … There were some zones where the water was safe to drink, but there were zones that weren’t, so delivering that message is a safety issue.”
Throughout her years at LADWP, Barajas has been in situations and worked in different departments where she was the only woman. But to the department’s credit, she explained, they have been providing a lot of community outreach and attracting women to a field seen as male-dominated.
“I hope that women feel that they can be a part of this and see that they’re validated,” Barajas said. “I know that there’s a lot of things we’ve been taught about traditional roles for women and some of these jobs might not be traditional, but it’s a great opportunity to learn and be a part of [something outside those roles.] Just don’t be afraid. You can do this.”
Amber Wood is an electrical test technician trainee, testing equipment in substations and other high-voltage equipment. Although LADWP offers plenty of benefits, she said the biggest one is the sense of accomplishment, knowing that she’s working on something important, and having a community around her that helps her to succeed.
She encourages women who are interested in working at LADWP to apply for as many positions as they can to get their foot in the door. If the first job isn’t to their liking, then at least they have the experience and knowledge to move on to something that can be more suitable.
When asked about the expo, Wood said, “I think it’s very important to have that visibility and give [women] the opportunity to see all the things they are capable of. … This gives women an opportunity to not only see what jobs are out there but also talk to women that are actually doing these jobs, ask questions and get familiar with what’s going on.”
Over the years, Wood said that she’s not only seen more women come to the expo but more women in the workforce, which she described as “inspiring” and lets them create a community where they can work together.
“I think women bring a lot of good qualities to the department that are needed,” Wood said. “We’re very good at multitasking, organization and communication, and we have a different point of view than men. Bringing those qualities to the department just ends up making it better, and they’re starting to see that.”
To learn more about LADWP careers and how to apply, go to https://www.ladwp.com/who-we-are/careers.