Karen Bass takes drastic action over LA customers’ skyrocketing utility bills

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has ordered a pause on utility shutoffs through the end of the year for customers who may not be able to pay their bills amid skyrocketing rates.

Bass said she asked the LA Department of Water and Power to take action for Angelenos “facing higher bills after the record heat.”

“No LADWP customer who is unable to pay their residential bill will have their electricity or water turned off for the remainder of this year,” she said in a statement.

“Running our air conditioners has been a necessity, and for too many Angelenos, the resulting increase in utility bills is a real burden,” Bass added.

“Angelenos need swift relief, and I am taking concrete action to provide it,” she added, telling customers to pay what they can afford now.

Bass’s move comes after Canter’s Deli, the nearly 100-year-old Fairfax District institution, warned it may have to cut staff after its LADWP bill jumped nearly $10,000 in four months to more than $34,000.

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