Villaraigosa to put Beutner at DWP *

Mayor Villaraigosa will announce Monday, as expected, that he is appointing Austin Beutner to be interim general Manager of the Department of Water and Power. At the 9:30 a.m. press conference, Villaraigosa will assign Beutner the mission of "developing and executing reform initiatives to change the culture at DWP, clear out the bureaucracy and lead a new era of accountable management and transparency," the advisory says. Beutner has been serving since January as deputy mayor for jobs and economic development, as a $1-a-year volunteer. He's the founder of Evercore Partners, the boutique private equity firm where he retired after a serious bicycle accident.

Noted: Rick Orlov had the story earlier today at the Daily News, with confirmation from Beutner: "'The first job is finding a permanent general manager,' Beutner said Sunday. 'You cannot expect to have an agency develop any stability when there is so much turnover at the top.'" Also this: "I'm keeping my office in City Hall. It's a short walk or ride from the DWP. "