Setting the stage for scrutiny of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which has been bruised by a series of high-profile customer service debacles, department officials announced Wednesday they want to raise water and power rates.
Under the proposal, which requires Los Angeles City Council approval, the average Los Angeles homeowner would pay nearly $24 more a month by 2020 for water and electricity. High-use water and power users would pay nearly $88 more a month.
The increases would mark the first water rate hike since 2009 and the first electricity rate increase since 2012, officials said.
Unveiled by DWP head Marcie Edwards at a downtown media briefing Wednesday morning, the proposal follows a botched rollout of a new billing system, lengthy customer service wait times and ongoing questions about spending at the agency.
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