The Los Angeles City Council Wednesday unanimously approved the appointment of environmental activist Aura Vasquez to the Board of Water and Power Commissioners.
Vasquez, director of climate justice at the Center for Popular Democracy, represents a departure from previous commission appointees, who tend to come from the world of politics or business.
“I was surprised that they would pick somebody like me. I have been an environmental activist and organizer my whole life, since I was 11 years old,” Vasquez said.
Vasquez was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti to the voluntary, nonpaid position for a five-year term. She replaces Michael Fleming, who resigned.
She has been a strong advocate for the city to stop using coal, and in 2013 the City Council and Garcetti committed to phasing it out of the city’s energy supply by 2025.
“Just a few years ago I was on the other side, pushing LADWP to get us here to a much more renewable Los Angeles,” Vasquez said.
Vasquez also led the endorsement team for the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters when it endorsed Garcetti for his re-election bid earlier this year.
“I think Aura is one of the strongest appointments we have ever had to this commission and I am very excited that she is being added on,” Councilman Paul Koretz said.
— City News Service