Posted on 09/25/2025
Dear ITA Family,
Did you know that over 1 billion cybersecurity-related events hit our City departments every day? That’s an average of over 11,500 a second! Any one of these incidents could be the next big, costly (and not to mention embarrassing) data breach. And it takes only one among the over 20,000 digitally connected members of our workforce, or more than 50,000 Internet-connected computers/devices in the City’s environment, to be a data breach entry point. In this widespread environment, both physically and virtually, safeguarding the City’s data and operations is a daunting task.
The ITA Information Security Office’s mission is to protect the City's digital infrastructure and information assets through trusted cybersecurity expertise and operational excellence. The members of this team take on this responsibility with commitment and enthusiasm, which has made them a recognized leader in cybersecurity.
Their recent efforts include:
- Security Package for Investigation, Detection, and Response (SPIDRv2) - completed deployment across 21,000 devices as part of the Integrated Endpoint Protection Program to enhance protection, detection, and response capabilities against emerging threats
- Strengthen Security Operations through AI-driven SIEM and SOAR - deploying advanced, AI-powered Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) capabilities, to improve real-time threat detection, streamline incident response, and reduce operational overhead
- Enhanced Security Awareness Program (We Secure LA) - launched a new website with more info, enhanced Citywide newsletter content, improved training completion rate, and working to expand training for specialized personnel, all to build a stronger human firewall and reduce risks associated with social engineering and user-driven vulnerabilities
Please join me in recognizing the ITA Information Security Office, led by our Chief Information Security
Officer (CISO), Timothy Lee:
- Integrated Security Operations Center (ISOC) - Maintains the City’s cybersecurity posture with three teams: Cybersecurity Intelligence (handles threat awareness), Risk and Vulnerability Management (works for proactive risk identification), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Administration (real-time monitoring and analysis)
- Manager: Daniel Clark Lee
- Sr SOC Analysts: Eric Lee, Aren Tahmasian
- SOC Analysts:Joanne Scott, Jaime Hernandez
- Contractor(s): Mariah Bahati, Rachel Ross
- Governance - Cybersecurity Awareness and Training Program (We Secure LA), Policy and standard management, Pathway Internship Program
- Manager: Cesar Alvarado
- Program Manager: Dean Victoria
- Cybersecurity Analyst: Merlyn Enriquez
- Student Worker: David Ramos
- Student Interns: Maria Dominguez, David Hernandez Lopez, Daniel Arambulo, Jessica Roldan
- Security Admin and Project Management Office - Administration (budget, purchasing, personnel, contract, grants), ITA-ISO project management, Compliance administration
- Manager: Yukari Iwai
- Special Projects - Produces new products, services, or results aimed at elevating ITA-ISO performance
- Manager: Madeline Dia