Deborah Weintraub

Speaker

Deborah Weintraub is the Chief Deputy City Engineer for the Bureau of Engineering, and the highest-ranking architect in the City. She provides leadership for an integrated architecture and engineering organization of approximately 1,000 people, with approximately 480 active projects totaling $3.6 billion.The organization provides professional design, project management and construction management to the City of Los Angeles, serving the needs of City residents and our fellow City employees. The projects include streets, stormwater infrastructure, wastewater infrastructure, fire facilities, police facilities, recreational and cultural facilities, parks, zoo facilities, general office facilities, and bridges. Deborah also oversaw the implementation of the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan.

Some recent projects under her oversight include the design and construction of the new 6th Street Viaduct, proposals for reuse of the site of the old Parker Center building, the design and construction of a new facility for Channel 35 in a historic structure at Olvera Street, and the exploration of the expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center. As a recognized expert in sustainable design, Deborah was instrumental in the adoption of LEED for City buildings and has extended the sustainability initiatives by piloting the use of Envision for civil projects. As the most senior architect in an engineering-focused organization, she has championed design discussions as integral to the process of project delivery.

Deborah received her undergraduate degree in architecture from Princeton University, later attending the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design for her Master's degree. After co-founding the New York architecture firm Lane & Weintraub, Deborah moved to Los Angeles in 1989, and has worked for the City of Los Angeles since 2001.

In 2016, she was awarded the 2016 Julia Morgan ICON Award for her contribution to the design industry. Morgan, the first female architect licensed in California, is best known for her work on Hearst Castle in San Luis Obispo COunty. Deborah's downtown office overlooks the old Los Angeles Herald-Examiner building, which Julia Morgan designed. The award is also fitting as Deborah Weintraub is the first woman, as well as the first architect, to hold her position at the Bureau of Engineering.

Deborah has received numerous local and national awards, including a national AIA urban design award for the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, has published many professional articles, and has presented in a variety of professional and public forums.