The L.A. Times reports:
The Los Angeles City Council on Friday rejected Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's plan for boosting electric rates, sending the proposal back to the Department of Water and Power even as members promised to continue working on an alternative plan next week.
L.A.'s Mayor isn't happy:
Villaraigosa criticized the vote, saying the council was taking the city backward in its effort to reduce the DWP's reliance on fossil fuels. "Instead of taking an historic opportunity to put the city on a permanent path to a sustainable, cleaner, greener future, the council voted to perpetuate the status quo at the Department of Water and Power," the mayor said in a statement.
In recent days, Villaraigosa had warned that a "no" vote would undermine the fiscal health of the city's electrical utility, rendering it incapable of following through on a promise to transfer $73 million to the city's struggling general fund, which pays for basic services. That, in turn, would cause the city to run out of money before June 30, the mayor said.
Villaraigosa has called for four consecutive rate hikes in order to meet his goal of securing at least 20% of the DWP's energy from renewable sources, such as wind, solar and geothermal power. Within 12 months, those rate hikes would result in increases to households of 9% to 28%, depending on how much power they use.
Mayor Villaraigosa: champion of less money for taxpayers.
