UCLA Professor Among Mayor's Fire Commission Picks

Written by City News Service

Mayor Eric Garcetti named four new members to the five-member Los Angeles Fire Commission this week to set policy and oversee the department, one day after a similar overhaul of the Police Commission.

The new fire commission appointees -- who require confirmation by the City Council -- include a doctor, business lawyer, former teacher and director of a service organization.

Garcetti announced he would like to keep Steve Fazio on the panel. The former reserve police officer and businessman, who has served on the fire commission since 2012, recently contributed $10,000 to the mayor's transition fund, which went toward the costs of Garcetti's inauguration event.

His picks are:

-- Jimmie Woods Gray, a former Los Angeles Unified School District teacher of 46 years;

-- Delia Ibarra, a partner at business litigation firm Lara & Ibarra, LLP and former Clinton administration speechwriter;

-- Jimmy Hara, a lead physician at Kaiser Permanente Southern California and UCLA professor; and

-- Andrew Glazier, managing director of City Year Los Angeles, a local version of the AmeriCorps service organization.

Another current commissioner, Alan Skobin, will make the jump to the mayor's office to serve as a special adviser on fire department technology.

"Our work at the fire department will be focused on reducing response times and making sure our department is cutting edge," Garcetti said.