The Most Powerful Man You've Never Heard Of

Ron Deaton, the head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, retired from his position last week after an extended medical leave. Mr. Deaton suffered a heart attack while on vacation over the summer and has been in recovery ever since. Here is our story.

We all wish him and his family the best. That said, Mr. Deaton was the ultimate insider and dealmaker at LA City Hall for over 20 years, heading and operating out of the Chief Legislative Analyst’s office. The Chief Legislative Analyst is an unelected position and during Deaton’s tenure one that functioned in almost total secrecy. Operating from the shadows he molded city councilmen, mayors, police chiefs…you name it. A unique and colorful character, I sat down with Deaton several years ago. Here are two sketches from our meeting:

Most cartoonists utilize themes throughout their work when tackling certain issues. One of mine is the statue or memorial. I frequently place politicians, leaders and scoundrels up on pedestals in order to knock them down. I remember Deaton in yesterday’s cartoon:

Note that I used my sketches from our meeting as a reference to create his caricature. And here is the preliminary sketch: