[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 27]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 36187-36188]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO MR. RONALD F. DEATON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 18, 2007

  Mr. BERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the career of Mr. 
Ronald F. Deaton. Mr. Deaton retired December 1, 2007 from the city of 
Los Angeles after 42 years of dedicated service to the people of Los 
Angeles. While Mr. Deaton is officially retiring as General Manager of 
the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the Nation's 
largest municipally owned utility, he spent 11 years as the Chief 
Legislative Analyst (CLA), reporting directly to the Los Angeles City 
Council. In this position he was the chief advisor to the City Council 
and, with a staff of 50 professionals who researched and analyzed 
public policy issues, played a leading role in the critical decisions, 
actions and initiatives facing the city of Los Angeles during that 
period. He was one of the most clear-sighted, intelligent, and 
effective public servants I have had the opportunity to engage with in 
my 35 years in elected office. I consider him a good friend as well.
  Mr. Deaton began his career in public service for the city of Los 
Angeles in 1965, when he first joined the LADWP and worked in budget 
preparation and market research. From there he moved to the City 
Administrative Office (CAO) in 1969, where again he was responsible for 
budget analysis and management audits. In 1976, he accepted a position 
in the office of the Chief Legislative Analyst (CLA). He continued his 
work on budget issues affecting all the city departments. In addition, 
he oversaw the city's State and Federal legislative program.

[[Page 36188]]

  In 1993, he was picked by the Council to be the CLA. In that position 
he was given the lead role in guiding the seismic rehabilitation and 
restoration of the historic Los Angeles City Hall and the Van Nuys City 
Hall. Additionally, he provided analysis and guidance in crafting the 
city's response to such challenging and complex issues as City Charter 
reform, secession, energy deregulation and redistricting.
  Other programs which benefited from his involvement and dedication 
included the Proposition ``O'' bond measure for Stormwater and Water 
Quality projects; Proposition K which benefited parks and recreation 
programs for young people; police and fire bonds for public facilities; 
creation of the Grifith Park Festival of Lights; relocation of the 
Children's museum; emergency rehabilitation and improvement of the Los 
Angeles Zoo; coordination of the National League of Cities convention 
in Los Angeles; bringing the City Council's information technology into 
the 21st Century; Parker Center replacement; the Police Consent Decree; 
the downtown arena agreement; Los Angels River improvement and 
beautification plan; ethics legislation, and eleven balanced City 
budgets.
  Mr. Deaton's dedication to public service was complimented by a sense 
of humor and his extraordinary ability to deal effectively, ethically 
and creatively with the challenges before him. He brought these 
qualities with him to the Department of Water and Power in 2004 when he 
was appointed to be the General Manager by the Mayor and confirmed by 
the City Council. In that capacity he initiated diversification of 
power generation resources; implemented significant infrastructure 
improvements and operational efficiencies; enhanced customer service 
and public outreach; and increased education programs for school 
children studying environmental issues.
  A graduate of California State University at Long Beach, with a B.A. 
degree in Economics, Deaton holds an MBA degree from the University of 
Southern California. He and his wife, Ellery, whom he met at LADWP in 
1965, reside in Seal Beach, California. Their family includes four 
grown children and ten grandchildren.

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