City Council Members Oppose DWP Surcharge
"I think it's the wrong timing and also it's excessive," Councilman Bernard Parks said
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If the idea of paying more for your power bill during touch economic times is upsetting, you're not alone.
Some City Council members Tuesday opposed Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plans for a carbon reduction surcharge. The proposal would add $2.50 a month to the bills of residential Department of Water and Power customers and increase rates for businesses by about 20 percent.
"I think it's the wrong timing and also it's excessive," Councilman Bernard Parks said, noting many households across Los Angeles are dealing with unemployment and foreclosure.
Councilman Dennis Zine described the carbon surcharge as a form of tax and said, "absolutely not."
Villaraigosa endorsed the carbon surcharge Monday, saying the revenue would help fast-track the department's switch from coal to renewable energy while creating about 18,000 green jobs over a decade.
Villaraigosa's appointees on the Board of Water and Power Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the proposal on Thursday. The City Council can then either affirm it or send it back with their recommendations.
Councilwoman Jan Perry, who chairs the City Council's Energy and the Environment Committee, said the DWP needs to explain why it needs a carbon surcharge when it reported a surplus of $147 million that was transferred to the city's emergency reserve fund last week.
Perry also criticized the DWP for failing to report on its efforts to cut costs, despite her repeated requests.
"The question of whether or not they've done absolutely everything that they're supposed to do to reduce their need for a surcharge to its absolute minimum has still yet to be demonstrated," Perry said.
