The Los Angeles City Council has signed off on a new infrastructure power team, voting unanimously Tuesday to confirm Mayor Karen Bass’ picks of Crystal Lee as City Engineer and Joone Kim‑Lopez as executive director and general manager of LA Sanitation & Environment.
The move puts a longtime Los Angeles World Airports deputy and an Orange County water chief in charge of two departments central to Bass’ effort to rebuild and maintain the city’s aging backbone. Their confirmations land just as Los Angeles starts ramping up work tied to the 2028 Olympic Games and a major downtown convention center expansion.
Council vote and City Hall paperwork
Council members approved both nominees during the June 30 meeting, according to MyNewsLA. Bass submitted Kim‑Lopez’s nomination in mid June, and the City Clerk’s record shows that her appointment was formally queued up for council consideration under council file 26‑0892.
Crystal Lee: airport veteran steps in as City Engineer
Lee comes to the Bureau of Engineering from Los Angeles World Airports, where she serves as a deputy executive director overseeing sustainability, energy and environmental services, according to her Los Angeles World Airports biography.
She has worked for the City for more than 17 years, holds a professional engineer license and earned a master’s in civil engineering from Loyola Marymount University. At City Hall, she is expected to help lead implementation of the mayor’s wide ranging Capital Infrastructure Program.
Joone Kim‑Lopez: water district boss heads to sanitation
Joone Kim‑Lopez currently serves as general manager and CEO of the Moulton Niguel Water District and brings more than 30 years of experience in water and wastewater operations.
In comments reported by MyNewsLA, Kim‑Lopez said “LA Sanitation & Environment is charged with keeping our communities safe, clean and resilient,” adding that she looks forward to advancing partnerships and innovation inside the bureau.
What City Hall expects them to deliver
Together, Lee and Kim‑Lopez will be on the hook for speeding up big capital projects while keeping the everyday basics functioning, from sidewalks and streetlights to stormwater systems and street cleaning, as Los Angeles shifts from planning into delivery ahead of the 2028 Games.
The mayor’s Capital Infrastructure Program lays out those citywide priorities. One of the highest profile items on that list is the downtown Los Angeles Convention Center expansion, a roughly $2.6 billion modernization that reached commercial close last year, according to Plenary Americas.
With the confirmations locked in, the Bureau of Engineering and LA Sanitation & Environment now have permanent leaders tasked with turning plans into work orders and work orders into crews on the ground. City advocates and labor groups are expected to watch closely as early decisions on contracting, workforce and project timelines start to shape how Bass’ infrastructure agenda plays out across Los Angeles neighborhoods.
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