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.
Landlord group brainstorms ways to pass water bill to tenants
Listen
• 0:54
A cover sits next to a water meter. The landlord group for greater LA proposes meters go into individual apartments for accurate billing of tenants.
(
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
)
A Los Angeles landlord group that's been trying to get tenants in rent-stabilized units to pay their own water bills has been thwarted at every turn by City Hall.
Splitting the water bill among residents? It's been criticized for not being precise enough.
Getting DWP to put in individual meters in apartments? Too expensive.
But the Apartment Association of Greater L.A., in its bid to save money and water for their members — particularly critical, they say, during a drought — hasn’t given up.
Support for LAist comes from
“We’re talking to different metering companies that have new technologies,” said AAGLA's Jim Clarke. He said these companies can do the same thing DWP does for thousands of dollars less.
“Meters are read inside the wall via cell towers," Clarke said. "What they do is monitor each unit."
Landlords need city approval to change the leases of units that fall under L.A.'s rent stabilization ordinance. Making these renters pay their own water bills would be considered a reduction in service, so landlords would also be required to lower the rent.
Clarke said that this could actually slash overall costs for tenants who cut down their water use.
The AAGLA again made the case that renters would save more water if they paid their own monthly water bill, after releasing a survey of members this week.
About 100 members, who own apartment buildings and collect rents, answered the survey. It showed that renters had not cut their water usage in recent months. Respondents said 14 percent of tenants increased their water usage since April, and 72 percent "stayed the same."
Tenants’ advocates view the landlords’ proposed solution with suspicion. Larry Gross of the Coalition for Economic Survival questioned AAGLA's concerns about the drought.
Support for LAist comes from
“It’s more about their attempts to do an end-run around existing rent-control laws instead of really trying to conserve water,” Gross said.
Gross pointed out that water use in L.A. has gone down in the last year — 13 percent, according to the DWP. He said renters, the majority of Angelenos, must have had something to do with it.
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.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The new ordinance applies to certain grocers operating in the city and has led to some self-checkout lanes to shutter. -
Children asked to waive right to see a judge in exchange for $2,500 -
There’s still a lot to be determined as the refinery, which supplies about one-fifth of Southern California's vehicle fuels, works to restore production and as data is collected. -
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.
Best of LAist