DWP Building Renamed for Councilman Ferraro

The Department of Water and Power’s downtown headquarters building was renamed Tuesday in honor of John Ferraro, the Los Angeles City Council’s president.

The structure at 111 N. Hope St., formerly the General Office Building, will now be known as the John Ferraro Office Building, as decided by a vote of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners.

“As council president, John Ferraro is more than a Los Angeles leader. He is a Los Angeles icon,” Mayor Richard Riordan said.

Ferraro is at home, recovering from surgery to remove his spleen. The 76- year-old lawmaker disclosed in February that he had cancer of the spleen and had started a series of chemotherapy treatments.

The former USC football standout, who has served on the council since 1966, is a member of the council’s Commerce, Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which oversees the DWP.

“He has been instrumental in many successful negotiations for several of our projects and critical issues,” said DWP board member Rick Caruso.

“It is ironic that after all these years this building has been left unnamed,” Caruso said. “It is only fitting that the largest and most prominent city building bears his name.”