L.A. official quits after TV reports husband owes rent to DWP

A top Los Angeles official resigned Friday, one day after it was revealed that her husband owes tens of thousands of dollars in back rent to the Department of Water and Power.

Randi Levin, general manager of the city’s Information Technology Agency, announced her resignation after the utility disclosed to KCBS-TV Channel 2 that her husband, Maurice, has failed to pay $56,000 for a plot of city-owned property he rents in North Hollywood.

According to a DWP statement, Levin stopped paying his bills in 2010 because he thought the rent was too high. Last month, the utility issued him an eviction notice, and the city has filed a lawsuit against him seeking full payment for the back rent.

Earlier this year, the Levins were the subject of another KCBS-TV investigation that accused Randi Levin of pulling strings to help her husband get his car back after it was impounded. The investigation alleged that Randi Levin phoned in the favor to Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck.

A spokesman for the Police Department said Friday that an investigation into that incident is ongoing.

Calls to the Levins were not returned late Friday.

Randi Levin did not address either allegation in her resignation letter, in which she said she looks forward to spending more time with her children and returning to the private sector. A former NBC Universal executive, she was appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to oversee the city’s technology systems five years ago. In her letter, she said she was proud of her accomplishments, including the implementation of a new email system for city employees and the opening of a new 911 dispatch center for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The 911 call center has been plagued by problems since it opened earlier this year. A system breakdown March 7 caused at least two calls to be missed and a series of computer crashes about that time forced dispatchers to rely on antiquated backup plans, including tracking the availability of fire engines and ambulances with pegboards and golf tees.

[email protected]