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L.A. Department Of Water And Power Condemned In California Audit

Sara Newman |
June 8, 2014 | 9:53 a.m. PDT

Deputy Editor

Leaks at UCLA elicit calls for help over the Twitosphere (Twitpic/VivWZhu)
Leaks at UCLA elicit calls for help over the Twitosphere (Twitpic/VivWZhu)
A comprehensive state audit found the Los Angeles Department of water and Power (DWP) liable for failing to quickly fix broken electrical equipment that was a threat to public safety or could lead to power outages. 

Charges raised against the DWP include sloppy record keeping, nearly 100,000 wood power poles that have exceeped their expected lifetimes, late repair work orders even on over two dozen immediate safety hazards and other serious problems that pose serious risks to Los Angeles residents. 

Reviews on Consumer Affairs give the Los Angeles DWP a 87 percent dissatisfactory rating with complaints that “the LADWP is ripping people off” and even demands for “a class action suit against them.”

On top of this all, apparently there has been a recent issue with “imposters” demanding that Los Angeles residents make immediate payments on “alleged overdue bills” or else face having their services turned off. 

The scams are conducted over the phone by several groups of “very sophisticated, very convincing” individuals who “literally will not take no for an answer,” said DWP security director Patrick Findley in a news conference at Los Angeles Police Dept. headquarters last Thursday.

Let’s keep out waterlines crossed that the DWP will soon be able to find a way to protect residents from both electrical dangers and scam artists.

Contact Deputy Editor Sara Newman here. Follow her on Twitter here



 

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