David Wright Appointed General Manager of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

Wright to serve as Interim General Manager pending City Council confirmation
as permanent General Manager

Wright has been with LADWP serving as Chief Operating Officer and formerly Assistant General Manager of the Power System since February 2015. As LADWP’s Chief Operating Officer, Wright oversees Water and Power Systems, Customer Service and Information Technology Services, Supply Chain Services, Human Resources, Fleet Services, Equal Employment Opportunity Services and Communications, Marketing and Community Affairs.

“LADWP’s most important responsibility is to the people of our city — its leader needs to be someone who understands what it takes to provide the quality, reliable service Angelenos deserve,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “As I talk with David and review his impressive track record, it’s clear to me that he isn’t just a proven customer service specialist — he’s the ideal candidate to lead LADWP into its next era.”

Wright is recognized as an established utility industry executive with broad-based knowledge of both water and electric utility operations, having served as General Manager of Riverside Public Utilities for nearly ten years and as the Chief Financial Officer for the Las Vegas Valley Water District, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, and the Silver State Energy Association, overseeing a nearly $1 billion budget for the three water and electric organizations. He previously spent 15 years with the City of Riverside where he served as Deputy General Manager and as Riverside’s City Controller. His extensive experience in utility management, finance and customer service provides a solid foundation to lead LADWP.

“As the nation’s largest municipal utility, LADWP continues to need a leader with a focus on customer service, keen financial acumen and the solid knowledge of operations in both the water and power,” Board President Mel Levine said.  “With Dave’s significant background in utilities and finance, and very importantly, his intent focus on improving customer service through the work he has begun under Marcie Edwards’ leadership, I believe that David Wright is the right person to lead this Department forward.”

Wright succeeds outgoing LADWP General Manager Marcie Edwards who served as LADWP chief since March 2014. Edwards recruited Wright to join LADWP’s ranks based on his qualifications and quickly increased his responsibilities after seeing him in action.

“I have full faith in David Wright and know he will continue the progress we have made to meet Mayor Garcetti and the City Council’s goals to better serve our customers, invest in replacing aging infrastructure and continue to diversify and green LA’s water and energy supplies,” LADWP General Manager Marcie Edwards said. “He has worked to improve our customer service division following the flawed rollout of our new customer information and billing system and helped manage the development of and build support for our recently approved water and power rate adjustments. He is an exceptionally talented leader and the right choice to lead LADWP.”

After appointment by the Board, Wright vowed to keep pushing the utility to reach the ambitious goals set forth by the Mayor, City Council and Board. “It is an honor and a privilege to serve as General Manager of the nation’s largest municipal water and electric utility,” Wright said. “In the past two and a half years we have accomplished much under Marcie Edwards’ leadership and I look forward to continuing this progress and building upon it.”

LADWP is the nation’s largest municipally-owned utility, serving more than 4 million Los Angeles residents. The LADWP has provided water and electric service to residents and businesses in Los Angeles for more than 100 years.

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