This just in: City Council says OK to DWP rate hikes *updated

The Los Angeles City Council gave preliminary approval today to a package of five rate hikes -- three for power and two for water -- saying the increases are needed to replace crumbling water lines and aging electrical cable, David Zahniser reports.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl went further, tying the Department of Water and Power's request for additional money to last week's electrical explosion in Westchester, where one firefighter was killed and another injured.

"Some people called it a freak accident," said Rosendahl, who represents the neighborhood where the explosion occurred. "I call it a wake-up call."

Last week, city officials said the death of firefighter Brent Lovrien was the indirect result of decaying DWP equipment -- a decades-old electrical cable that had cracks in its casing and is believed to have served as a conduit for fumes that caused the explosion.

Vote was 11-0 for power and 9-2 for water.  Full story here.

--Veronique de Turenne

Comments

[Frank]

This is not fair, How dare DWP use the firefighter who died as a way to get rate hikes. I read that DWP used $135 mil. for other programs in LA. Why didn't they use that money to fix the wire problem. There trying to do us wrong and the council is a part of it. I say we protest this rate hike. Cause Im spending all my $$ on Gas for my car.