Council moves to find DWP advocate
Some say position must be filled before utility is allowed to raise rates
Rick Orlov
Daily News
06/15/2011
With the DWP pushing to raise water and electric rates beginning this fall, the Los Angeles City Council took the first steps Wednesday to appoint an advocate for ratepayers.
The council voted 10-0 to create a five-member committee that would hire an executive director for the voter-approved Office of Public Accountability, which would act as a watchdog over the Department of Water and Power.
The hiring panel would be composed of two appointees from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, two from Council President Eric Garcetti and one from Councilwoman Jan Perry, who chairs the council's Environment and Energy Committee.
"I think we need to act as quickly as we can now that the DWP has come up with these (rate) proposals," Perry said. "I am committed to not approve any rate increase until we have a ratepayer advocate in place who can review what is being proposed."
The city-owned utility unveiled a proposal Tuesday to raise water rates by 15.3 percent and power rates by 16.8 percent by 2014. An incremental bump of 4.2 percent for water and 6 percent for electricity would take effect by Nov. 1.
Jack Humphreville, president of the neighborhood council-based DWP Advocacy Committee, concurred with Perry on the desire to have a ratepayer advocate review any proposed increase.
