Sustainable Waste and Recycling Management Committee

SWARM’s MISSION

Establish collaboration with the Los Angeles Region’s solid waste management leaders to develop, implement, and advance current strategies and new initiatives that promote sustainable solid waste management practices and remove barriers to the development of regional recycling and organic waste management infrastructure.

COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP

SWARM Leadership Transition Announcement

The SWARM Committee is pleased to announce that effective May 1, 2026, Cid Tesoro assumed the role of Committee Chair. Will Chen transitioned to the role of Vice Chair, where he will continue to support the Committee’s strategic priorities and operational efforts.

The Committee extends its sincere appreciation to Emiko Thompson for her dedicated service and contributions as the outgoing Vice Chair.

We thank all three leaders for their continued commitment to advancing the County’s sustainable waste and recycling initiatives.

Cid Tesoro, Chair

Cid Tesoro is a Deputy Director at Los Angeles County Public Works, where he leads the Environmental Services Business Area for the nation’s largest municipal public works agency, which has an annual budget of more than $4.4 billion and a workforce of more than 3,600 employees, providing vital public infrastructure and civic services to more than 10 million people across a 4,000-square-mile service area. With nearly four decades of public and private sector experience, he has led major infrastructure, environmental, and emergency response initiatives across Southern California.

Prior to rejoining Public Works in 2024, Cid held leadership roles at the Port of San Diego and worked as a private consultant on large-scale public projects. He is a licensed Civil Engineer in California and holds a degree in civil engineering from San Diego State University.

As Chair of the SWARM Committee, Cid brings a strong commitment to sustainability, resilient infrastructure, and advancing innovative solutions to support safe, clean, and thriving communities.

SWARM - Will Chen

Will Chen, Vice-Chair

Will Chen is the Head of the Energy Recovery Section for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. He and his staff are responsible for managing the agency’s energy portfolio which include renewable power, natural gas and transportation fuel, developing the Food Waste Recycling Program, operating and maintaining landfill gas-to-energy facilities and conducting the Household Hazardous/E-Waste collection events held throughout Los Angeles County. Mr. Chen started his career with the Districts in 2009 as an operations engineer at the Calabasas Gas-to-Energy Facility and was promoted to Supervising Engineer and Section Head in 2019 and 2022.

He graduated from UCLA with a B.S in Mechanical Engineering and from USC with an M.S. in Environmental Engineering. He is a Registered Mechanical Engineer with the State of California and is a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer.

Past Meetings