Hamid David Nahai (born 1959) is an

Iranian-American Iranian Americans are United States citizens or nationals who are of Iranian ancestry or who hold Iranian citizenship. Iranian Americans are among the most highly educated people in the United States. They have historically excelled in busine ...

environmental attorney, political activist, and former head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Early life and education

David Nahai was born into a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in 1959 in the

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian capital,

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. In 1969 Nahai moved to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

where he later attended the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

. After the 1979

Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

, Nahai relocated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

where he received his JD from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

Career and Los Angeles DWP

Nahai founded the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

based Nahai Law Corporation in 1992. The firm specializes in "real estate, corporate, environmental and commercial law." Nahai served several terms on the Regional Water Quality Control Board before being appointed to the DWP board of commissioners in 2005 by Los Angeles mayor

Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramón Villaraigosa (; né Villar Jr.; born January 23, 1953) is an American politician who served as the 41st Mayor of Los Angeles from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Villaraigosa was a national co-chairman of Hillary ...

. In December 2007, Villaraigosa elevated Nahai to "the post of DWP general manager and chief executive officer". Nahai's approximately two-year tenure was marked by a heightened emphasis on renewable energy sources and conservation. During his time at the DWP, the department increased its renewable energy portfolio to 14 percent and the city of Los Angeles saw its lowest monthly water use in 32 years (in June 2009). In October 2009, Nahai resigned as general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, citing his desire to devote his time and resources to the

Clinton Climate Initiative The Clinton Foundation (founded in 2001 as the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, and renamed in 2013 as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation) is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code. It was es ...

that he had joined shortly before. The Clinton Climate Initiative is an organization founded by former US president Bill Clinton with the aim of fighting the causes of global climate change.

Family

David Nahai is married to novelist and USC professor

Gina Nahai Gina B. Nahai ( fa, جینا نهایی , born 1961) is the author of ''Cry of the Peacock'', ''Moonlight on the Avenue of Faith'', ''Sunday's Silence'' and ''Caspian Rain''. Her novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages. She ...

. They have three children and currently reside in Los Angeles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nahai, David 1959 births Living people American people of Iranian descent Iranian Jews