Unpaid Utility Bills Are Disproportionately Piling Up in L.A.’s Communities of Color
Between 25% and 30% of Angelenos have unpaid energy and water bills, with debts unevenly impacting Black, Latino, and low-income neighborhoods.
A new report authored by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and Center for Neighborhood Knowledge measures the extent of utility debt accumulation among customers served by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Disparities in unpaid bills predate COVID-19 but have deepened since the pandemic’s outbreak. Using data from a November 2020 California State Water Resources Control Board survey, the researchers found one-quarter to one-third of all Los Angeles households faced financial difficulties paying for their utilities.
UCLA
Clockwise from top left: Kevin Brazile, Meyer and Renee Luskin, Wilfred “Bill” Coggins, Dr. Alan Fogelman and Johnathan Franklin. Cheryl Cheng |
May 4, 2021
Benefactors and lifelong friends of UCLA, a judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court and a cardiologist are among the Bruins being honored by the UCLA Alumni Association for their achievements, leadership and community service.
The UCLA Awards ceremony will be held virtually on May 22, and it is open to all alumni, staff and members of the Bruin community.
“Capping off hundreds of alumni events each year are the UCLA Awards in the spring,” said Julie Sina, UCLA’s associate vice chancellor for alumni affairs. “A perfect time to celebrate our amazing alumni leaders, the UCLA Awards bring such joy and pride to our entire UCLA community. The alumni and network organizations we honor spotlight UCLA’s world-class impact and contributions to societies around the globe.”
Governors Wind Energy Coalition
White House says clean energy standards work. Is that true? Source: By Miranda Willson, E&E News reporter • Posted: Sunday, May 2, 2021
President Biden has called for enacting a clean energy standard, a policy tool deployed across multiple states. MariaGodfrida/Pixabay (solar panels); Gage Skidmore/Flickr (Biden); Gary Norton/NREL (turbines)
Members of the Biden administration said in recent weeks that clean electricity standards similar to what is being proposed nationally have a successful track record at the state level.
But timeline challenges with the standards and environmental pushback in some locations are raising questions whether the plans work as intended.
PLANNING WATCH-On Monday I read Judge David Carter’s 110 page legal decision and judicial orders regarding homelessness in Los Angeles, mostly in Downtown LA ‘s (DTLA) Skid Row (LA ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, et al. v. CITY OF LOS ANGELES, et al.).
This suit was initiated by the LA Alliance for Human Rights, an organization representing downtown property owners and residents, but not such prominent homeless advocates as LACAN. Judge Carter’s opening sections offer a detailed account of residential racism in Los Angeles, especially how elected officials used the LAPD to maintain LA’s Skid Row homeless containment zone. For anyone who wants to learn this history, Judge Carter’s decision is an excellent and accessible read.
OhmConnect Partners with Google to Empower Families to Prevent Blackouts, One Nest Thermostat at a Time
Equipped with Nest Thermostats, OhmConnect s Growing Community of Energy Savers Will Be Critical Part of Energy Infrastructure in Summer 2021
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OAKLAND, Calif., April 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/
OhmConnect, the leading residential customer response energy program, in partnership with Google, today announced a plan to help prevent blackouts in California this summer. The plan will incentivize energy-efficient behavior through the use of Google s Nest thermostats, which will reduce energy consumption during peak hours across thousands of California homes. With Nest thermostats, OhmConnect users will make their homes more grid-responsive, which will help the environment while earning them cash and prizes from OhmConnect.