PLATFORM : Environmental Credentials Do Count

When Mayor Tom Bradley appointed Mary Nichols in 1990, he noted that her presence as the third environmental vote on the DWP commission would assure that the DWP became an environmental trend-setter among municipal utilities--a worthy objective, given the department’s historic insensitivity to the ecological impact of its activities.

In her brief tenure, Nichols delivered on the mayor’s promise. She pushed the DWP to adopt an aggressive energy-demand management program, won a new policy to cut emissions of gases that cause global warming and initiated a promising new round of negotiations over the survival of Mono Lake. But it takes more than two years to turn a huge agency around.

True, the DWP commission has lacked African-American representation for the past two years, but this could be corrected by appointing one of Los Angeles’ many African-Americans with strong environmental credentials. Two mayoral appointees come to mind: Metropolitan Water District Commissioner Carolyn Green and W. Anthony Willoughby, who chaired the mayor’s blue ribbon committee on water rates.

What Los Angeles residents of all colors need is a diverse coalition of environmentally sensitive commissioners to ensure that the DWP fulfills the mayor’s promise.