DWP Names Rae James as Assistant to the General Manager.

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 2000

Los Angeles resident Rae James has been appointed director of legislative affairs for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

James has an extensive background in the areas of public relations, marketing, media and government lobbying. With years of experience in government management positions, she returns to Los Angeles from the Bay Area, where she served as executive manager of external affairs for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).

&uot;Ms. James is a welcomed addition to the management staff at DWP,&uot; said Gerald A. Gewe, DWP acting general manager. &uot;Her experience and industry knowledge, skills and abilities will benefit the Department as it continues to prepare for competition.&uot;

As director of legislative affairs for the nation's largest municipal utility, James reports to the general manager. She is responsible for developing DWP's legislative policy and review programs, building relationships with elected officials, and managing the legislative affairs area.

&uot;The future of DWP continues to be through building partnerships,&uot; said James. &uot;My goal is to assist the highly professional and energetic staff at DWP with making DWP a model competitive enterprise in the nation, and a proud asset to the residents of Los Angeles. Partnerships are key to making that happen.&uot;

Prior to joining BART, James was executive officer of communications for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LAMTA). In that position, she managed the marketing, government relations, media relations, public affairs, internal communications and the metro art program.

James has held several positions within the city of Los Angeles government. In 1993, she was appointed deputy mayor of Los Angeles by Mayor Richard Riordan. The areas she managed included transportation, planning, redevelopment, housing, building and safety, LAMTA and the Housing Authority. She has held positions in the Office of Chief Legislative Analyst and the community Redevelopment Agency for the City Los Angeles.

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, she holds a bachelor's degree in industrial psychology and economics. She completed her master's studies in public finance at California State University at Hayward, as well as the Law Studies program at St. Mary's College in Moraga, Calif.

Active in the community and professional organizations, James is a member of the NAACP and the San Francisco Bar Association. She has served as the Ethnic Coalition board director and board director of Women in Transportation.

A native of Oakland, Calif., James is married to Leonard James, and has twin sons.