LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass last week announced relief to assist hundreds of thousands of Angelenos who incurred bill debt during the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement was made alongside Councilmember Heather Hutt, CalEPA Secretary Yana Garcia, Water Resources Control Board Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel, LADWP CEO and Chief Engineer Janisse Quiñones, L.A. Sanitation and Environment officials, and local community members. These efforts continue Mayor Bass’s work to provide economic opportunity and mobility to Angelenos across the city. Click here to view photos from this event.
“This announcement providing relief to thousands continues Los Angeles’s commitment to having our community’s back in the continued recovery from the pandemic,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “DWP bills are a source of severe stress for so many families in the City. We continue to be committed to working with our federal, state and local partners through our locked arms approach to help our residents have access to critical assistance. I am proud to stand with our CEO and Chief Engineer Janisse Quiñones, Councilwoman Hutt and partners from the state and community organizations to take action for LADWP customers in Los Angeles."
LADWP CEO and Chief Engineer Janisse Quiñones said, “The State’s support for our customers has been a lifeline for them. Over the past four years we have provided more than $700 million in utility assistance funds, including the $253 million in funding from the Water and Wastewater Arrearages Program, but we know that financial recovery from the pandemic continues for many in our city. We want our customers to know that LADWP cares, and we are here to help them get caught up on their LADWP bill and better manage their electric and water use".
“Sewer services are among the most critical services that we provide for protecting public health and the environment,” said Barbara Romero, Director and General Manager of LASAN. “We are grateful to the State of California for including us in this utility financial assistance program so that we can once again support fellow Angelenos and their families, and will continue to work at the Local, State and Federal levels to secure grants and other monies to offset these costs.”
“The Governor’s swift action in the early days of the pandemic kept taps on for millions of struggling Californians,” said Yana Garcia, California Secretary for Environmental Protection. “The extension of the moratorium on water shutoffs and the distribution of critical funding to water systems to forgive debt helped about 4 million Californians get back on their feet.”
“All levels of government demonstrated decisive and cooperative action during California’s COVID-19 response to protect people during a crisis and hasten their recovery from it,” said E. Joaquin Esquivel, Chair of the State Water Board. “I’m proud of the role the board played in this incredible effort by mobilizing a major program and providing the first wave of debt relief within months. But I’m even more proud of our partners at the local level, including cities, water and wastewater systems who chose to participate in the program and help their customers. They brought this relief directly to those who need it.”
Mayor Bass thanked the California Water and Wastewater Arrearage Payment Program for allocating these funds to Los Angeles, which were administered by the State Water Resources Control Board using federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. This most recent customer relief comes on the heels of other aid programs in 2022 and 2021 designed to help those who fell behind on their utility bills during the pandemic period from March 4, 2020 to June 15, 2021.