July 2022 • Volume 50 • Number 7
Around LADWP
Cynthia M. Ruiz Confirmed as Newest Member of Board of Water and Power Commissioners
Cynthia M. Ruiz has been confirmed as the newest member of the Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners, elected as Board Vice President on July 12. Ruiz was appointed to the Board by Mayor Eric Garcetti after former Commissioner Susana Reyes departed the Board to join the Board of Public Works. Ruiz joins Board President Cynthia McClain-Hill and Board Members Jill Banks Barad, Mia Lehrer and Nicole Neeman Brady. With her appointment and confirmation, LADWP’s Board continues to be comprised of all women – a first for the Department and the only all-female Board in the City of Los Angeles.
Ruiz has a long history of service to the City of Los Angeles. Prior to her appointment and confirmation to the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, she served as Commission President for the Los Angeles City Employee Retirement System (LACERS) where she oversaw a multibillion-dollar pension portfolio. She also previously served for nearly eight years on the City of L.A.’s Board of Public Works, starting in 2003, including serving as its President from 2005 to 2011.
“As a lifelong Angeleno, it is an honor to continue my service to the City of Los Angeles by joining the all-female Board, as LADWP continues to grow a sustainable future for the nation’s largest municipal utility,” said newly-appointed Commissioner Ruiz.
Learn more about Commissioner Ruiz on the Board website.
Heroic Action by LADWP Employee Saves Multiple Lives on Klondike Lake
On May 15, the Big Pine Volunteer Fire Department received a report of six people and a dog who were possibly drowning in Klondike Lake, a small lake just south of Bishop, CA. When the call came in, Big Pine Fire Chief and LADWP Heavy Duty Equipment Operator Damon Carrington (right) began seeking additional resources, including a boat. The nearest boat to be found was located at LADWP’s Bishop yard, which was more than 15 minutes away. Big Pine Fire Captain Jason Morgan (left), an LADWP Watershed Resource Specialist for the last 14 years and seven-year member of the Big Pine Volunteer Fire Department, overheard the situation. Morgan, without hesitation, hooked up and launched his personal boat into the lake, saving precious minutes of response time and ultimately saving all six individuals and their dog from tragedy.
“What Jason did was so above and beyond, to bring his own boat out there and save these people,” said Carrington. “If those two people had to wait another ten minutes for the boat from Bishop, they wouldn’t have made it. He deserves a great deal of credit.”
Klondike Lake provides nesting and feeding areas for waterfowl and LADWP permits water skiing and other water sports during the summer months. The incident shows how important it is to support the volunteer first responder organizations in the Owens Valley. Their behind-the-scenes work is vital to the safety of all the residents and visitors of the Eastern Sierra.
Heroic Action by LADWP Employee Saves Multiple Lives on Klondike Lake
On May 15, the Big Pine Volunteer Fire Department received a report of six people and a dog who were possibly drowning in Klondike Lake, a small lake just south of Bishop, CA. When the call came in, Big Pine Fire Chief and LADWP Heavy Duty Equipment Operator Damon Carrington (right) began seeking additional resources, including a boat. The nearest boat to be found was located at LADWP’s Bishop yard, which was more than 15 minutes away. Big Pine Fire Captain Jason Morgan (left), an LADWP Watershed Resource Specialist for the last 14 years and seven-year member of the Big Pine Volunteer Fire Department, overheard the situation. Morgan, without hesitation, hooked up and launched his personal boat into the lake, saving precious minutes of response time and ultimately saving all six individuals and their dog from tragedy.
“What Jason did was so above and beyond, to bring his own boat out there and save these people,” said Carrington. “If those two people had to wait another ten minutes for the boat from Bishop, they wouldn’t have made it. He deserves a great deal of credit.”
Klondike Lake provides nesting and feeding areas for waterfowl and LADWP permits water skiing and other water sports during the summer months. The incident shows how important it is to support the volunteer first responder organizations in the Owens Valley. Their behind-the-scenes work is vital to the safety of all the residents and visitors of the Eastern Sierra.
Cynthia M. Ruiz Confirmed as Newest Member of Board of Water and Power Commissioners
Cynthia M. Ruiz has been confirmed as the newest member of the Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners, elected as Board Vice President on July 12. Ruiz was appointed to the Board by Mayor Eric Garcetti after former Commissioner Susana Reyes departed the Board to join the Board of Public Works. Ruiz joins Board President Cynthia McClain-Hill and Board Members Jill Banks Barad, Mia Lehrer and Nicole Neeman Brady. With her appointment and confirmation, LADWP’s Board continues to be comprised of all women – a first for the Department and the only all-female Board in the City of Los Angeles.
Ruiz has a long history of service to the City of Los Angeles. Prior to her appointment and confirmation to the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, she served as Commission President for the Los Angeles City Employee Retirement System (LACERS) where she oversaw a multibillion-dollar pension portfolio. She also previously served for nearly eight years on the City of L.A.’s Board of Public Works, starting in 2003, including serving as its President from 2005 to 2011.
“As a lifelong Angeleno, it is an honor to continue my service to the City of Los Angeles by joining the all-female Board, as LADWP continues to grow a sustainable future for the nation’s largest municipal utility,” said newly-appointed Commissioner Ruiz.
Learn more about Commissioner Ruiz on the Board website.
MyDWP SharePoint Pilot Debuts
Beginning July 1, employees visiting the MyDWP/ intranet site noticed a change in the platform, look and layout of a few pages, particularly the following: Board of Water and Power Commissioners, Water System and Water Executive Office. These changes are part of a pilot project by the Information Technology Services and Corporate Strategy and Communications divisions to modernize and transition LADWP’s intranet site from the outdated Oracle WebCenter platform to Microsoft SharePoint. The goal of this project is to make MyDWP a more effective employee communications tool and resource for all, with more current content that is relevant and better-organized. As the Department continues to make progress on the project over the upcoming years, new protocols will also be established to ensure that content is kept up-to-date and of best value to internal audiences.
For more information about the New Intranet Migration Project please visit MyDWP.
LADWP and L.A. Times Poster Contest Selects Winners
For more than a decade, LADWP has partnered with the Los Angeles Times in the Times and Education program called, “Water, Energy, the Environment and You,” which reaches between 80,000 to 90,000 students annually. Teachers who sign up for this program receive three teacher’s guides covering a host of Department related topics, and students of participating teachers are eligible to participate in the annual poster contest focusing on water conservation, energy efficiency and environmental topics, such as renewable energy.
This year, 11 judges from the Water Conservation Policy group and Corporate Strategy and Communications Division evaluated the entries in grades 4-12. Michael Kim, a ninth grade student at Loyola High School, won the grand prize and will receive a $100 gift certificate and the inclusion of his poster and photo in a Times advertisement. To view all the winning posters go to the Times in Education page on LADWP.com.
Thank You to LADWP Science Bowl Volunteers
About 70 volunteers, mainly LADWP employees and their families, volunteer at the annual LADWP Science Bowl competition, serving as moderators, timekeepers and other positions. About 200 students from around 25 high schools compete in Science Bowl. In 2021 and 2022 the competition was held virtually, with each team answering toss up and bonus questions individually. It takes a lot of time, effort and skill to set-up this competition and to actually run each of the rounds.
Annually, teams and their coaches send thank you notes and letters expressing their appreciation to the Department, our staff and all the volunteers. View a few thank you notes sent this year to the right:
Thank You to LADWP Science Bowl Volunteers
About 70 volunteers, mainly LADWP employees and their families, volunteer at the annual LADWP Science Bowl competition, serving as moderators, timekeepers and other positions. About 200 students from around 25 high schools compete in Science Bowl. In 2021 and 2022 the competition was held virtually, with each team answering toss up and bonus questions individually. It takes a lot of time, effort and skill to set-up this competition and to actually run each of the rounds.
Annually, teams and their coaches send thank you notes and letters expressing their appreciation to the Department, our staff and all the volunteers. View a few thank you notes sent this year below:
Thank You to LADWP Science Bowl Volunteers
About 70 volunteers, mainly LADWP employees and their families, volunteer at the annual LADWP Science Bowl competition, serving as moderators, timekeepers and other positions. About 200 students from around 25 high schools compete in Science Bowl. In 2021 and 2022 the competition was held virtually, with each team answering toss up and bonus questions individually. It takes a lot of time, effort and skill to set-up this competition and to actually run each of the rounds.
Annually, teams and their coaches send thank you notes and letters expressing their appreciation to the Department, our staff and all the volunteers. View a few thank you notes sent this year below:
Written and published by the Corporate Strategy and Communications Division. For other 2022 issues, click the three horizontal lines icon next to the Contact logo at the top left of the document. Then click the “Editions” tab. For issues from 2000-2021, see Intranet page MyDWP/.