New Water Commission president elected

Water Commissioner Paul Blanco was unanimously elected president of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners on Sept. 17. Blanco takes officially takes office Thursday. See the Water Department press release with biographical information about Blanco below.

Paul Blanco Elected President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners

LONG BEACH, CA - Effective October 1, 2009, Mr. Paul C. Blanco will serve as the new President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners.  Mr. Blanco was elected President by a unanimous vote of his fellow Water Commissioners at the September 17th meeting of the Board of Water Commissioners held at the Brennan S. Thomas Water Administration Building.  Commissioner Blanco was appointed to the Board of Water Commissioners by Mayor Bob Foster in July 2007.  

Mr. Blanco retired from his position as a medical case worker with Los Angeles County, Department of Mental Heath in August 2007.   He is the founder, former president and chief executive officer of the Federation of Filipino American Associations.  

Mr. Blanco has held senior leadership positions in several Christian and Filipino grassroots organizations both in the United States and abroad.  He has served as Commissioner of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., California Holiday Commission; and as a member of the Long Beach Citizen Police Complaint Commission.  He has also been a member of the Veterans Advisory Committee on Rehabilitation for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. In 1992, Mr. Blanco was an official member of President George H.W. Bush's Presidential Delegation attending the 50^th Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan and Corregidor in the Philippines.  

Mr. Blanco holds a B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from the Philippine Christian University, and has an M.A. in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix.  He also holds a Professorship of Academic Leadership from the University of Phoenix.

Two other Water Commission posts were also filled at the meeting.  During the next year, Commissioner Suzanne Dallman will serve as Vice President of the Board and Commissioner Frank Clarke will serve as Secretary of the Board.          

Since 1931, the Water Department has been governed by a Board of five Water Commissioners, each appointed to a five-year term by the Mayor, subject to approval of the City Council. The overlapping terms of the Board members provide necessary continuity and bring to the Department the combined expertise of the Commissioner's business and professional backgrounds. In addition to the five current Commissioners, 55 citizens of the City have served as members of the Board.

The City Charter entrusts the Board with significant responsibility and authority. The Board is charged with full jurisdiction over all water works necessary to the acquisition, treatment, sale, and distribution of water served to the City and is responsible for the collection and disposal of the City's sanitary sewage. Among other duties, the Board has authority to acquire or sell real property, to construct and operate facilities, to purchase equipment and enter into contracts. The Board establishes the Water Department's mission and goals, and adopts policies and strategies to meet these ends. The Board submits an annual budget to the City Council, fixes water and sewer rates, hires the General Manager and establishes compensation for all LBWD employees.

For more information on the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners, visit www.lbwater.org.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban southern California water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.