LOS ANGELES -- Col. Julie Balten will relinquish command of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District to Col. Andrew Baker at a Change of Command ceremony July 14 at the Corps' LA District’s Baseyard in South El Monte.
Baker will become the 64th commander of the district. He will lead more than 750 military and civilian personnel operating in a 226,000-square-mile area of Southern California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
Additionally, Baker will be responsible for a $750-million annual budget for planning, engineering, construction, real estate, regulatory, emergency management and environmental services for three Army and eight Air Force installations, interagency and international customers, and for the nation’s water resources infrastructure in the Southwest, valued at about $240 million.
Established in 1898, the Corps’ LA District provides support to major civil works projects in Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. Some of those projects include the Santa Ana River Mainstem, and the operation and maintenance of 16 dams, 14 navigation projects, 13 miles of breakwater and 54 miles of flood-control channels.
Ecosystem restoration projects also form a major part of the LA District’s workload and include the Los Angeles River Ecosystem Restoration project, which focuses on water-quality improvements and recreational opportunities.
The district also provides engineering, design and construction support to agencies like the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as provides disaster and emergency response support to the nation and contingency operations overseas.
FOR THE MEDIA: The ceremony is by invitation only and will be on a closed installation. Media wishing to cover the Change of Command ceremony should contact the LA District Public Affairs office at (213) 505-5010 by 3 p.m. July 13 to RSVP. Media should provide after-hours contact information, including an email address and phone number, in the event there are any changes to the program’s schedule. Media representatives also should provide the number of news team members, as well as indicate any special needs or interview requests.