Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Can’t Afford Another Mammoth Gas Bill? Averaging Your Yearly Bill Can Help You Smooth Out The Spikes

Topline:
Thousands of Angelenos were caught off guard last month when SoCalGas bills skyrocketed. If you don’t want to feel that pain in the wallet again, there’s a program that can make those expensive bills more manageable.
What’s the program? It’s called the Level Pay Plan, and the utility says it helps “smooth out the ups and downs” of your bill. This isn’t a discount program — instead it averages out your annual gas use and costs over 12 months. SoCalGas estimates your bill based on your history and projected future rates.
How can it help my wallet? Your bill will be the average, not your actual charges. You may pay less than your actual gas usage in the winter, but pay more than normal in the typically low summer months. It’s a way for you to make those gas spikes (like we just had) more affordable in the long run. Gas estimates are updated every six months.
How do I sign up? Level Pay is open to most residential SoCalGas customers, and some business customers. You can fill out the enrollment form online under the bill pay section. (And by the way, Long Beach Utilities has this program too).
Go deeper:
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

-
There are no reports of injuries after a blast and ensuing fire, which could be seen for miles on Thursday night.
-
The FCC voted to end E-Rate discounts for library hotspot lending and school bus Wi-Fi.
-
About half the Pacific Airshow’s 2025 lineup has been grounded because of the federal government shutdown.
-
USC says it’s reviewing the letter also sent to eight other prestigious schools nationwide. California's governor vowed that any California universities that sign will lose state funding.
-
Scientists say La Niña is likely, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a dry winter in Southern California.
-
According to a grand jury report the contractor took advantage of strained relations and political pressures to “force” the city to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle disputes.