Food Systems Expert Paula Daniels to Reshape SoCal Water Policy at MWD

LOS ANGELES, CA – May 13, 2026 – Sustainable food and water policy leader Paula Daniels was seated this week as the City of Los Angeles’ newest representative on the board of directors for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a move signaling a strategic shift toward integrating the region’s intertwined food and water security challenges.

Daniels, a lawyer with over two decades of experience shaping public policy, brings a unique and holistic perspective to the powerful water agency, which supplies imported water to 19 million people. Her appointment comes at a critical juncture for Southern California, as it grapples with the long-term impacts of climate change, persistent drought, and the need for a more resilient resource management strategy.

A New Paradigm: Integrating Food and Water Security

For years, policy discussions surrounding water and food have often occurred in separate silos. Paula Daniels’ career has been dedicated to breaking down those walls. As the inaugural executive director of the Los Angeles County Office of Food Systems and co-founder of the influential Center for Good Food Purchasing, she has championed the idea that you cannot have a secure water future without a sustainable food system, and vice versa.

This integrated philosophy is now at the table of Southern California’s most important water wholesaler. MWD board Chair Adán Ortega, Jr. explicitly acknowledged the significance of her expertise. “Water security and food security go hand in hand,” Ortega said. “I look forward to working with Director Daniels on these critical issues and to ensure a reliable, sustainable water supply for Southern California.”

Daniels’ approach is grounded in real-world application. The Good Food Purchasing Program she co-founded guides public institutions—like school districts—to use their immense buying power to support local, sustainable, and equitable food producers. This model, now adopted in over two dozen metropolitan areas, inherently connects urban consumption with rural agricultural practices, which are the largest users of water in the state. By influencing purchasing, the program indirectly promotes water-efficient farming and reduces the environmental footprint of the food supply chain. Her work suggests a vision where urban water agencies are not just passive distributors but active partners in shaping a more water-wise agricultural landscape.

Championing Los Angeles' Water Future

As the representative for the City of Los Angeles, Daniels will wield significant influence. Los Angeles is not just another member agency of the MWD; it is a heavyweight, holding preferential rights to over 20 percent of the district’s water supply. The city’s priorities inevitably shape regional policy. Her appointment reflects a growing focus within Los Angeles on sustainability, local resilience, and equity.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has been aggressively pursuing a strategy to decrease its reliance on imported water by expanding local sources, including groundwater cleanup, extensive water recycling programs, and stormwater capture. Daniels’ background aligns perfectly with this ethos. Her previous service as a senior advisor to former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and her role in founding the LA Food Policy Council demonstrate a long-standing commitment to building a more self-reliant and sustainable Los Angeles.

Her presence on the MWD board suggests that Los Angeles will advocate for policies that not only secure its own water needs but also promote broader regional sustainability. This could mean pushing for MWD investments that support innovative water conservation technologies, equitable water rate structures, and partnerships that bolster local food systems across Southern California, recognizing that the health of the entire "foodshed" is vital for urban centers.

A Veteran of Environmental Policy Takes Her Seat

Daniels’ resume reads like a roadmap of California’s most critical environmental and resource challenges. Her appointment is not that of a newcomer but of a seasoned veteran stepping onto a new stage. Before her current roles, she served on the California Water Commission, the California Bay-Delta Authority—which oversees the state's massive water conveyance system—and the California Coastal Commission. This trifecta of appointments gave her a comprehensive, high-level view of the state's complex and often contentious water and land use politics.

Her experience is not confined to government commissions. Daniels has held faculty positions at UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Vermont Law School, contributing to the academic and legal discourse on environmental policy. She has authored and edited works on "True Cost Accounting for Food," a methodology designed to reveal the hidden environmental, social, and health costs in the food system. This academic rigor, combined with her on-the-ground policy work, provides her with a powerful toolkit for analyzing and shaping MWD’s long-term strategies.

Her numerous accolades, including an Ashoka Fellowship and a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency, underscore her status as a respected leader and innovator in the sustainability field. This deep well of experience in government, academia, and the non-profit sector positions her to navigate the intricate financial, political, and environmental currents at the MWD.

Navigating MWD's Financial and Agricultural Crossroads

Daniels' impact may be most immediately felt through her committee assignments. She has been appointed to the Finance, Affordability, Asset Management, and Efficiency Committee; the Ethics Committee; and, most notably, the Special Committee on Ag and Tribal Partnerships.

The finance committee role is crucial as MWD confronts a difficult fiscal landscape. The district is navigating rising operational costs and the need for massive investments in aging infrastructure while facing potentially declining revenues from water sales as member agencies increase their local supplies. Daniels’ focus on equity and "true cost" principles could introduce new perspectives on how to structure rates and investments to ensure affordability without compromising long-term resilience.

Her assignment to the Special Committee on Ag and Tribal Partnerships, however, is a direct bullseye for her expertise. This committee is at the heart of the food-water nexus. Here, she can leverage her deep understanding of sustainable agriculture to foster collaborations that benefit both urban water users and California's agricultural sector, which consumes the lion's share of the state's developed water. Her work can help bridge the historical divide between urban and agricultural water interests, promoting policies that support on-farm water efficiency, groundwater sustainability, and economic viability for farmers. Furthermore, her background can inform more effective and respectful partnerships with tribal nations, incorporating traditional ecological knowledge into modern water management. This appointment provides a direct channel for her to translate her life's work on fair and resilient food systems into tangible water policy for Southern California.