Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has postponed a Friday news conference on his plan for hiking a surcharge for customers of the Department of Water and Power, replacing that event with one that focuses on his recent lobbying trip to Washington.
Chief Deputy Mayor Jay Carson said the 9:15 a.m. DWP announcement was rescheduled, in part to give Villaraigosa’s office more time to verify figures showing the impact of the plan on the utility’s residential customers.
Carson said the mayor wants to increase the surcharge by 2.7 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity used.
Part of the proceeds would go toward renewable energy and conservation programs. The largest share would be used in the near term to cover the fluctuating cost of coal and natural gas.
Villaraigosa’s office has not released any written materials on the plan. But Carson has said the initiative would cause low-end users of electricity — estimated at 55% of the DWP’s residential customers — to see their bills increase by $2 per month.
The DWP event has been rescheduled to Monday.
— David Zahniser at Los Angeles City Hall