Normally, if you don’t pay your utility bills, you can expect to have your water or power turned off. But now there will be some reprieve during extreme weather conditions for Angelenos.
The Los Angeles Board of Water and Power Commissioners decided on Tuesday, June 27, to immediately suspend water and power shutoffs facing delinquent customers if the National Weather Service issues an extreme heat or cold weather advisory or warning.
The 4-0 vote comes just as summer arrives and, with it, soaring temperatures, including this past weekend’s first summer heatwave.
“During extreme heat and cold, Angelenos shouldn’t fear that their water or electric service will be disconnected because they couldn’t afford to pay their utility bill,” Department of Water and Power board President Cynthia McClain-Hill said in a statement.
With a focus on equity, the DWP will work with customers to better manage their bills, offer extended payment plans, connect low-income customers to assistance programs and offer rebates to those who purchase portable and window air conditioners, McClain-Hill said.
Until now, the department suspended shutoffs to non-paying customers only if temperatures soared past 100 degrees Fahrenheit. By using National Weather Service alerts as its new barometer, the policy now takes into account weather-related health risk factors like heat duration and high overnight temperatures, as well as cold-weather factors during the winter.
Some community advocates asked the DWP board on Tuesday to consider even more factors.
Alicia Morales Pérez, a research and policy analyst with the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, told board members before their vote that the change in policy marked “a really important step” forward toward providing relief to Angelenos.
But she and other advocates also called on the board to consider a summer-long, seasonal moratorium on shutoffs, not just when the National Weather Service issues an alert. The weather…
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