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DWP Citizen Advocacy Committee Says No to Solar Ballot Measure--Here’s Why |
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Watchdog Committee Notebook
By Soledad Garcia
The 110 Freeway was moving, the smoke was hovering, and DWP GM David Nahai’s voice on the radio said that DWP workers were working hard to keep power lines open and that water was available to combat the fires.
The emergency conditions reminded some of the Alliance attendees of the
Westchester flying lid and of the brave workers. Councilman’s
Rosendahl image of holding a cable in his hand was recalled a nd of his
saying that the DWP rate increases had to pass because of the faulty
infrastructure that had caused a death and a worker’s injury.
Then I wondered: because of the devastating fires from Santa Barbara and Los Angeles through Orange County was DWP and the City of LA going to use this tragedy, as had been done with Westchester, to further rush the Solar Measure as part of the Emergency Alert?
The DWP Committee met at the LA City College Faculty Lounge on Saturday to discuss the Solar Measure after hearing the two Alliance guest speakers, Linda Lucks, BONC President and Nick Patsaouras, former DWP Commission President and City Controller Candidate engaged the gathering.
Patsaouras shared some of the highlights of his outstanding accomplishments while on the DWP Commission. Among his feats, he saved the ratepayers $47 Million plus, organized a Community Relations Committee on behalf of the ratepayers and maintained a strict oversight vigil on DWP contracts and expenditures.
Before resigning to run for City Controller, he established an Ad Hoc Rate Payers Advocate Committee and moved that DWP have a much needed independent RPA. He reminded us that but for the constant presentations by the neighborhood councils the Ad Hoc Neighborhood Council/DWP Memorandum of Understanding Committee would not have taken place. The presence of the NCs on significant issues lets DWP know that the Councils will not be bypassed without notice.
The LANCC DWP Committee opened its meeting at 11:45 AM. The DWP Transfer of $200 Million to the City General Fund was briefly discussed. The judge who heard the arguments on the legality of the transfer will have a decision in December on the constitutionality issue as to whether the DWP has violated Prop. 218 by transferring annually to the so called “surplus funds” to the City’s General Fund.
The importance of the Rate Payers Advocate was reviewed by Jack Humphreville. Councilman Huizar’s endorsement of the RPA as part of low income and lifeline was appreciated by all. The Neighborhood Councils will support the Councilman at the Energy and Environment Committee as well as at the Council meeting.
The DWP Committee unanimously agreed to endorse alternative and sustainable energy. A controlled and planned program would be appropriate instead of an immediate and sudden emergence of green programs not properly vetted and disclosed.
The DWP Committee unanimously moved and passed the motion not to endorse the Solar Measure at this time. In spite of Seventeen Neighborhood presentations, three Union Reps and the private sector going before the Council, eleven City Councilmembers voted to place the Solar Initiative on the March 3rd ballot. It did not matter that the City Council would not provide the Community with financial information, that the measure was still not written, that the Council was advocating passage of the measure on the basis of promoting green power, that the Council had violated City Charter and DWP’s MOU in the rush to approve a Union and City project two years in the making. The Council was asking for a blank check to have DWP’s Union as the exclusive work force.
On the way home, the freeway was heavily impacted, the sky was dark and the smell was worse.
(Soledad Garcia is President of the DWP Committee a neighborhood council and citizen advocacy group affiliated with the LA Neighborhood Council Coalition.) ◘
CityWatch
Vol 6 Issue 93
Pub: Nov 18, 2008
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