DWP rate hikes win final approval from City Council
The Los Angeles City Council gave final approval Tuesday to two back-to-back increases in electricity rates totaling 11.1%.
A 4.9% rate hike will show up on the Department of Water and Power’s next bill, followed by a 6% increase next summer. Both increases passed on a 9 to 4 vote, with council members Bernard C. Parks, Jan Perry, Mitchell Englander and Dennis Zine opposed.
The increases are expected to generate $321 million by June 2014. DWP officials said the money would be used to rebuild power plants, secure more sources of renewable energy and cover the cost of new energy-efficiency programs, among other things.
The proposal passed even though a city-hired consulting firm concluded that DWP salaries were “significantly” higher than those found at other public and private utilities. DWP officials said that those costs had little to do with the need for higher rates.
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