DWP Punishes Water Conservers: Ron Nichols Seeks $5 BofA-style Monthly Fee Because Angelenos Saved Too Much Water

By Jill Stewart Wed., Nov. 16 2011 at 11:20 AM

Categories: DWP

DWP: Watch out, it's alive and it wants your wallet.

Shame on Los Angeles residents for conserving water. The Department of Water and Power (a widely hated agency, but also a public utility owned by all 4 million Angelenos) plans to slap everyone with a $5 per mo charge. Why? We hurt DWP's bottom line by saving water.

Rick Orlov at the Daily News explains how DWP boss Ron Nichols is cleverly trying to rush through the $5 punishment before a "ratepayer advocate" representing the people can be appointed. Nichols clearly got his $5 fee idea from Bank of America. Now Nichols outlandishly claims L.A. mightn't meet "federal water quality standards" without a fee grab.

It's hard to overstate the incompetence inside Los Angeles DWP, which has allowed the city's 85-year-old water pipes to decay to the point of sinkholes, even as the DWP has blown many millions of consumer dollars on self-promotion, PR, dead-end pet projects and so on.

The 15 electeds on the Los Angeles City Council have long suffered from a shared low IQ level. The nation's highest paid City Council -- at $178,789 per year -- has bungled the simple duty of hiring a ratepayer advocate to protect us from the DWP that we, the public, own.

Confusing, isn't it?

Los Angeles DWP boss Ron Nichols channels Bank of America.

So until Angelenos get that official watchdog in place to train an eye on Nichols and his bunch inside DWP, the CitywatchLA website, a group blog of well-informed watchdogs like Jack Humpreville and Ken Draper, has stepped in to tell us what is unfolding at DWP.

CityWatch has run a detailed series on DWP, its ~~failure~~ opposition to hiring the Ratepayer Advocate, and an ugly, ugly series of power, water and other fee hikes DWP plans to slap on Angelenos quite soon.

One CityWatchLA must read is this expose on how Nichols and the DWP screw you if you use solar power in Los Angeles.

Now, atop that, Nichols wants $5 from everyone each month.

For turning down their sprinklers too much.

For installing too many low-water toilets.

For creating too many low-water gardens.

For fixing too many dripping faucets.

Shame on everyone for saving water in arid Los Angeles. Now cough up the $5.

Tags:

DWP, inept government, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, ratepayer advocate, Ron Nichols, water fees

We Recommend

Yjdraiman

Water is the source of life - treasure it! R5. Water is the source of all life on earth. It touches every area of our lives. Without it, we could not thrive — we could not even survive. Sustainability – “We strive to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. We should discourage wastefulness and misuse, and promote efficiency and conservation. "Conservation is really the cheapest source of supply," For the benefit of mankind, maintain the quality of life and preserve the peace and tranquility of world population. Water resources must be preserved - to sustain humanity. We must eliminate wasteful utilization of water, conserve our water sources and implement rigid conservation methods. We should utilize solar and or other source of renewable energy to operate desalinization projects from the oceans. Utilize renewable energy sources to purify and transport the water to its final destination. As world population increases the scarcity of water will become a cause for conflict, unless we take steps now to develop other sources of water for drinking, rainwater harvesting – storm-water and gray-water utilization. Designing of landscaping that uses minimal amount of water. "With power shortages and a water scarcity a constant threat across the West, it's time to look at water and energy in a new way," To preserve the future generations sustainability, we should look into urban farming – vertical farming. The term "urban farming" may conjure up a community garden where locals grow a few heads of lettuce. But some academics envision something quite different for the increasingly hungry world of the 21st century: a vertical farm that will do for agriculture what the skyscraper did for office space. Greenhouse giant: By stacking floors full of produce, a vertical farm could rake in $18 million a year. "To succeed, you have to believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a reality." YJ Draiman, Energy, Telecom and water conservation consultant

Foundahypocrite

Wow, what an ill informed article. "CityWatch has run a detailed series on DWP, its failure to hire the Ratepayer Advocate," DWP has nothing to do with hiring the Advocate. That is completely the responsibility of the City Council, who waited months before they put together a committee to choose the advocate. And they did this without giving any scope of work for the position that the committee could work off of. The ballot measure for the advocate passed in March, and the Council didn't get around to doing anything until August.

And you bring up Jack Humphreville and his articles against the DWP, but in the Rick Orlov Daily News article you mention it says, "Jack Humphreville, who serves on a citizens committee that looks at DWP issues, said he supports the emergency increase." So congrats on your half ass piece of investigative journalism. Maybe next time try to tell the whole story, and then go ahead with your attack.

Jill Stewart

Thanks for your comment Foundahypocrite. This is Jill Stewart responding, I very much appreciate your comment. But to be clear, the Ratepayer Advocate is opposed by key forces at DWP who have a major affect on what the City Council has the courage to do. As it has always been. As long as DWP internally opposes reform, the Council drags its feet. Second, Jack Humphreville's unfortunate position in favor of the emergency increase aside, he is still the best-informed watchdog over the DWP. His series at CityWatch should be read. Nobody has to agree with his backing of the $5 fee to benefit from his knowledge. Expand your mind, man.

Foundahypocrite

Always happy to expand my mind, but if you are going to give facts as part of your opinion piece then you should give them all, otherwise your no better than Fox News.

Also, if as you write, Jack Humphreville "is still the best-informed watchdog over the DWP", than maybe the $5 increase is more than just a "$5 punishment." If the City Council would take responsibility for the City as their job requires, instead of just worrying about their next campaign, we wouldn't be in this position. Make the tough, informed vote, even if it costs some votes or donations. The City has grown by over 1 million people in the last 40 years, because of the Councils inability to say no to developers and the gifts ($) they provide, but the water resources available to the City has not increased in the same way. Water is a finite resource, so conservation makes sense, but there still has to be an infrastructure in place to deliver that water.

And while I would certainly agree that there are those associated with the Department (IBEW) that have way more influence in the City than they should, the people who live in LA are complicit in all of this. If less than 12% of the registered voters in this City found the last municipal elections important enough to get out and vote in, then why should the Mayor or City Council do anything but what those who line their pockets want them to do. Mind you, that is less than 12% of registered voters, how many more people who live in this City are eligible to vote and haven't even bothered to do that.