A Personal Note from LA Waterkeeper's Board Chair
An important update for our community on LA Waterkeeper’s leadership, continued strength, and commitment to advancing our mission.
April 30, 2026
L to R: Cynthia Guzman (Principal, Estolano Advisors, & LA Waterkeeper Board of Directors); Cecilia Estolano (CEO & Founder, Estolano Advisors),; Bruce Reznik (LA Waterkeeper Executive Director); Alfredo Gonzalez (California Director, Resources Legacy Fund), and Shona Calzada Gangully (Principal, Better World Group).
Dear LA Waterkeeper Partners and Supporters,
It is with a heavy heart that I share some difficult news. LA Waterkeeper's Executive Director, Bruce Reznik, has recently been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Bruce has been navigating symptoms and tests for several months, which many of you may have noticed has kept him from his characteristically relentless schedule. He also recently suffered a serious foot fracture requiring surgery, which means his cancer treatment will begin in the coming weeks once he has sufficiently recovered. He is receiving excellent care from specialists at Kaiser and City of Hope, and we are deeply grateful for that.
Bruce is, quite simply, one of the most consequential water advocates in California. Over his tenure at LA Waterkeeper, he has built the organization into a genuine political force — with the relationships, credibility, and track record to match. That does not happen by accident, and it does not disappear when one person steps back. It is the result of years of deliberate capacity-building, and it will endure.
Bruce is committed to being there for the long haul for his dogs!
That capacity-building is precisely why we are confident in LA Waterkeeper's continued strength during this period. In recent years, Bruce and the board have worked intentionally to develop a leadership structure that does not depend on any single person — including Bruce himself. LA Waterkeeper's team of attorneys, scientists, advocates, and communications, outreach, development, and administrative professionals is operating at full capacity and remains fully committed to the mission.
Managing Director Kelly Shannon McNeill — who has worked alongside Bruce for six years and knows this organization and its partners as well as anyone — will lead day-to-day operations and ensure continuity across all of our programs and relationships. The board will also remain closely engaged, to provide strategic guidance and governance support. The political capital Bruce has built, the partnerships he has cultivated, and the momentum he has generated will be protected and advanced.
We ask for your continued partnership, and your good wishes for Bruce as he focuses on his health. He remains deeply committed to this mission and to the city he has fought so hard to protect, and we know that your support means the world to him.
We will continue to keep you informed. In the meantime, if you would like to follow Bruce's journey and send him your encouragement, he welcomes that at his CaringBridge site.
Sincerely,
Jon Varat
Board Chair
Los Angeles Waterkeeper