The Los Angeles City Council Friday confirmed the appointment of Richard Katz, a former state assemblyman, to the Board of Water and Power Commissioners.
Council members voted 12-1 to place Katz on the five-member board, which oversees and sets policy for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The LADWP serves more than 4 million residents of the city, along with its businesses and visitors.
Councilwoman Nithya Raman was the lone “no” vote, while council members Monica Rodriguez and Kevin de León were absent during the vote. Attempts to reach Raman’s office for a comment were not immediately successful.
Mayor Karen Bass nominated Katz to fill a vacancy due to the departure of Nicole Brady, vice president of the board.
Katz will serve a term ending on June 30, 2026.
Prior to the vote, council members had the opportunity to ask Katz about his goals as a potential water commissioner.
“I think that we’re at a unique inflection point at DWP and the city,” Katz said. “With all the changes taking place in terms of electricity and water, the opportunities to make sure we have an equitable policy that treats everyone in the city fairly are in front of us.”
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, who chairs the Energy and Environment Committee, highlighted various challenges — some she called “significant failures” — the department has experienced in the last 15 months, including widespread and lengthy power outages, the discovery of thousands of power poles that were damaged and in need of immediate replacement, and breakdowns in public communication.
“If appointed, you’re going to be part of a major transition of both the board and senior management at a time when the department itself needs to be fundamentally and profoundly transformed to meet the needs of our city, and to rise to the occasion around climate.”
Katz said he would work to promote new technologies, strengthen transparency and ensure the city’s climate goals are reached by the department.
Katz also told Yaroslavsky he would be fully committed to have the LADWP partner with other city departments on issues such as housing production and stormwater capture.
“I think in the goals that you’re talking about, councilwoman, we have no choice but to meet the goals that the council, the mayor, and our board have set — and make sure that we meet them at least on the timeline, if not faster,” Katz said.
According to city documents, Katz has led a 44-year career of public service, including 16 years in the state Assembly, starting in 1980. He served as a member of the California State Water Resources Control Board from 2001-06, and served as a member of Metro’s Board of Directors from 2005-14.
In 2008, he joined the Metrolink Board of Directors, and served until 2015.
He’s the president and founder of Richard Katz Consulting, a public policy and government relations firm in Los Angeles. Katz graduated from Santa Monica City College with an associate degree, and received his bachelor of arts in political science from San Diego State University.
The board has undergone a number of changes in the last year. In July 2023, former commissioner Cynthia Ruiz, the first Native American to serve on the board, was removed from her position after serving one year.
Bass nominated George McGraw, who was later confirmed and replaced Ruiz a month later. At the time of the decision, Bass’ office had explained “transitions” are common during the beginning of a mayoral administration.
In January, former Board President Cynthia McClain-Hill resigned amid ethics complaints involving a discussion over a cybersecurity contract.
The Los Angeles Times previously reported that McClain-Hill and then-DWP Commission President Mel Levine had a private phone call in 2019 with two executives to discuss the utility’s plan to award a new contract.
The city’s Ethics Department disallows commissioners from privately reviewing contracts with vendors. McClain-Hill and Levine maintain they did not violate any ethics laws.
Commissioners Mia Lehrer, Nurit Katz and Wilma Pinder, alongside McGraw, currently serve on the board.