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Los Angeles City Council is scheduled to confirm the appointment of a new general manager of the Department of Water and Power today, making energy industry consultant Ron Nichols the sixth person to hold that title since 2007.
Vowing to improve customer service, Nichols, managing director of Seattle-based Navigant Consulting Inc., also plans to "foster more transparency within the utility, which members of the council accused of resorting to 'dirty tricks' last year while seeking approval of an electricity rate hike," reports the Daily News.
Said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa when announcing the nomination, Nichols "brings over 30 years of experience in the energy and water utility industry with specific depth of knowledge of California. His hands-on experience working on both the financial and operations sides of the utility business will be invaluable at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power."
If approved, Nichols would helm an agency that's been at odds with the City Council in recent months, notes the Daily News. Last spring, in a move some council members said amounted to extortion,the DWP threatened to withhold a promised transfer of $73.5 million to the city while pushing for a rate hike of up to 28 percent for businesses and high-usage customers.
