Deaton Moves to DWP Digs

Everything old is new again...and after several Olympiads serving as the "sixteenth man" on the Los Angeles City Council as its unelected Chief Legislative Analyst, Ron Deaton begins his duties at the helm of the City's public utility. The Daily News interviews him:

Deaton was reluctant to outline any dramatic initiatives for his first few weeks as general manager of the DWP. The City Hall veteran, who served as the City Council's top adviser but influenced public policy more than mayors or other officials, said he would spend his first few weeks meeting with DWP managers and learning more about the organization.

He said he would move quickly to fill two key vacancies at the DWP: the chief administrative officer position recently vacated by Frank Salas, and the position heading the DWP's water operations, from which Gerald Gewe plans to retire.

``There are no dams about to break,'' Deaton said, wryly referring to the DWP's greatest scandal, the collapse of the St. Francis Dam that killed more than 500 people in 1928. ``I think I will have a few days, a few weeks to get acclimated.''