Metropolitan Board reelects Adán Ortega, Jr. as chair for two more years

Adán Ortega, Jr. will remain at the helm of Metropolitan Water District's Board of Directors through 2026 following a unanimous vote today by the board to reelect him as chair.

Ortega, who will begin his second two-year term on Jan. 1, 2025, pledged to continue his leadership on critical issues, particularly the urgency to address climate change in water planning decisions and investments. Ortega has served on Metropolitan's 38-member board since 2019 and has worked in government relations and water for more than 30 years. He was unchallenged in his bid for reelection.

Ortega said his proudest accomplishment over the past two years has been organizing the board around Metropolitan's need to adapt to climate change. He has been a driving force behind Metropolitan developing a Climate Adaptation Master Plan for Water, and he has reorganized the board's structure to better address the issue, including adding a new board vice chair on climate adaptation.

"One of my goals when I was first elected chair was to reduce some divisiveness on our board. The board has harnessed the urgent need to adapt to climate change as a unifying priority that drives us to work better together," Ortega said. "Today's vote to continue my tenure is an indication of the success we've had moving in that direction. I am committed to continuing this evolution."

Ortega pointed to the board's recent adoption of new rates as another example of working collaboratively to make tough, but necessary decisions.

"As others have pointed out, tap water is a good bargain in Southern California, especially given the complexity of importing half of the water we use from hundreds of miles away and the challenge of ensuring reliability in the face of weather extremes and more prolonged droughts," he said. "We continue to benefit from this water by using every drop wisely."

"Climate adaptation isn't only the responsibility of environmentalists or a social movement. It involves all of us - our engineers, financial experts, planners, communicators, and every single board member," Ortega continued. "It is at the core of everything we are doing to ensure water reliability and affordability for Southern California.

Ortega said the CAMP for Water process also embodies a growing collaboration with the leadership of Metropolitan's member agencies. Member agency managers have joined board members participating in a CAMP for Water task force - a model Ortega hopes to replicate as Metropolitan begins considerations to reform the agency's financial model.