The CotoBuzz Journal, Community Journalism

The Los Angeles City Council for some time has recognized that Los Angeles is an enormous metropolis with an extraordinary variety of unique neighborhoods and a "one-size fits all" policy does not fit the City and instead has looked at programs that would significantly increase production of both affordable and market rate housing, without unfairly burdening market rate renters or buyers, or the private business community that provides the housing. All this embodied in the Fair Share Program

Support for the Fair Share program is provided by a Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) study projecting that the region will grow by 6.3 million residents by the year 2030, a 37% increase above the current population. Already, people cannot afford to live in, or even close to, the neighborhoods where they work. Teachers, firefighters, police officers, nurses, City administrators, and others with median level incomes cannot afford to buy even a modest home. Even without a Fair Share program, the city council has continued to issue development permits and collecting its Fair Share of tax revenue.

Market conditions being what they are, the Los Angeles' mandatory water conservation restrictions aimed at reducing the city's water use by 15% commences today.

If you call DWP at (800) DIAL-DWP and ask why there is a mandatory water conservation, you will be told that it is due do sever water shortages all over the state. If a the same time you then let them know that most other cities in California are not paying the higher rates, the typical response is “sorry, but you have to take that up with the City Council”. If you then say: “Wait, the City Council approved a high density development” to collect taxes, and now because the density is high, you must pay even more for the bare necessities, does that make sense”. That apparently sends the call center into overdrive – chances are you will either be disconnected, or your water will.

Either way, this is water torture – LA Confidential style. You may want to search for Speaker Pelosi and complaint about the water torture right her in LA.

Comments.

Tortured by the LA City Council

What a GREAT ARTICLE!!!!! Finally, someone who GETS IT!!! Hits the nail right on the nose and calls it what it is: City Council is outta control. Go figure. They give out all these developer permits to build high density housing not even thinking about where the water will come from, THEN, they go and raise the utility rates and ration water. So in essence the Council helps create the problem and then blames the victims and penalizes them for buying in an area where the Council allowed over building. Oh, that really makes a lot of sense. But the worse part is that the Council is on a government funded payroll so it doesn't matter that they don;t have a clue what they are doing because they get paid anyway. So my question on this bogus revenue-producing fraud, is this: does Desert Hot Springs have to ration water? Does Sacramento have to ration water? Does Santa Barbara have to ration water? WHY is this only L.A. when the DWP says the entire STATE is experiencing a drought, NOT just L.A.? And where's our useless L.A. Mayor? Oh, sorry, he must be preoccupied with other really important things; pot holes maybe?

Sherman Tank

No one said local government had to make prudent long-term decisions. Heck, not even short term ones. It is sort of like a drug addict who cannot get enough. In this case, the drug addict will be looking for any "revenue producing schemes" he can find. - Buzz