David W. Hanson

David W. Hanson is the Interim General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest publicly owned water and power utility. He was appointed to this position in March 2026, following a unanimous vote by the Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners. He leads the organization of nearly 12,000 employees, delivering water and power to the approximately four million residents of Los Angeles.

Most recently, Mr. Hanson served as the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Assistant General Manager – Power System, overseeing the entire Power System as it works to provide reliable and resilient power service to Los Angeles, upgrade and modernize its infrastructure and systems, and achieve the City’s ambitious clean energy targets of 100% carbon-free energy by 2035. While under Mr. Hanson’s leadership, LADWP successfully eliminated coal from its power supply and commissioned Eland Solar-plus-Storage Center, the largest solar and battery storage project to provide renewable energy to Los Angeles.

Mr. Hanson’s career at LADWP spans more than 20 years. He began as an Electrical Mechanic and is a graduate of LADWP's Electrical Mechanic Training Program. Since then, he has held an array of positions within the Power System, including an assignment as Safety Representative for Power System Safety. In that role, he responded to severe incidents and employee injuries and conducted investigations to resolve issues that led up to the incident, with a focus on preventing recurrence. As Superintendent of the Electrical Mechanic Training Center, Mr. Hanson revamped the training center's hiring process to expand the program, enabling it to triple in size. He has also served as Assistant Director of Power Transmission and Distribution and Director of Power Construction and Maintenance.

Before joining LADWP, Mr. Hanson served for 10 years in the United States Navy Nuclear Powered Submarine Force as an Electrician's Mate First Class, Sub Surface. He was assigned to two fast-attack submarines—first the USS Drum, followed by the USS Bremerton—and also was a Navy recruiter in the Inland Empire.

Mr. Hanson has completed UCLA's Construction Management Certificate Program. Born and raised in Louisiana, he is a father of three and has been happily married for 27 years. He enjoys attending car shows and is an avid fan of air-cooled Volkswagens and vintage Porsche cars.