John A. Smith, Jr.

John A. Smith, Jr. is the Chief Administrative Office (CAO) of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the nation’s largest publicly owned water and power utility. He assumed this role in July 2024. In his capacity as CAO, Mr. Smith works closely with the CEO & Chief Engineer on the critical corporate services that support our overall Department in delivering water and power and that are foundational to enabling us to achieve our industry-leading goals to transition to 70 percent local water supply and 100 percent clean energy by 2035 equitably, affordably, and reliably. He will directly oversee Facilities Services, Fleet & Aviation Services, Security Services, Supply Chain Services, and Real Estate, and continue serving as co-director of the Utility Pre-Craft Training Program.

Mr. Smith has been a member of the Los Angeles City family for 35 years; of those, he spent 25 years with LADWP Fleet Services. Most recently from 2022 until his appointment as CAO, he served as Director of Fleet and Aviation Services.

Along with a bachelor’s degree in organizational management, Mr. Smith holds a master’s degree in management, strategy, and leadership. Mr. Smith is a native Angeleno and a proud civil servant of the city where he was born and raised.