LOS ANGELES — History has been made at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Cynthia Ruiz was sworn in as the first known Native American to serve on the board of commissioners.
A member of the Cherokee nation, Ruiz, is a lifelong Angeleno who grew up with her Mexican father and Native mother. Her mother served on the LA City/County Native American Indian Commission for over 20 years.
Ruiz has also been a public servant, having served at Public Works and the Port of LA.
Now she’s bringing her experience and cultural respect for the earth to her new role.
“We pray above to the creator, we pray below to connect with mother earth and then we pray center so we have an understanding that we are connected to everything,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz’s historic appointment should be just the beginning of more Native people in leadership roles, said Alexandra Valdes, executive director of the Native American Indian Commission. Los Angeles city and county have the largest population of Native people in the country.
“Indigenous people have so much to offer and so many solutions that have been around since time immemorial to get us out of huge crises that we’re facing and so I think it’s just incredible that what we’re seeing here in the city,” Valdes said. “To me, this should be the beginning point and hopefully it will be.”
Ruiz said as a new board member her top priority is educating resident about the need to conserve water and how to do it. She’s also focused on power and hitting DWP’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2035.
“We’re in Southern California. Look at this beautiful sun. We should be using this beautiful resource,” Ruiz said.
Restoring public trust in the department is also top of mind for her. David H. Wright, the former general manager of LADWP, was sentenced in April to six years in prison for accepting bribes.
“The question that I asked myself as a resident was, ‘Where was the oversight?’ I want to make sure that we have policy and procedures in place to hold people accountable,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz also wants Angelenos to be accountable to each other and to be united in protecting precious resources.
“As Cherokees and leaders we’re taught to remember seven generations in the past, which is our ancestors, and consider seven generations in the future when we’re making decisions,” Ruiz said. “So my environmentalism and my work at LADWP are really for the future. Of course it’s for today, but it’s also for tomorrow.”
The LADWP board commissioners meet on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m.