# Los Angeles DWP and Lost Angeles in general **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 10, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318 "2009-10-10T16:45:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pinkyvee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6de8d8/32.png) [@pinkyvee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkyvee)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/1 "2009-10-10T16:45:47Z")
What the hell? My DWP bill increased $200 from last billing period! And mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - FUCK YOU! The fact that any “surplus” DWP funds goes to the General Fund for the City … which is a sneaky way Mayor Anthony V … AKA Mayor Antonio Voldemort … raises taxes without saying he’s raised taxes. I’m so G-Damned sick of fees.:mad: Hurry me away from this dishonest and greedy city I used to enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/2 "2009-10-10T17:34:42Z")
Uh… DWP? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/3 "2009-10-10T17:37:19Z")
Department of Water and Power. ---
**Author:** ![St.Anger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@St.Anger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Anger)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/4 "2009-10-10T17:55:47Z")
Isn’t Los Angeles built on a desert? Dont they have to channel all that water from the Sierra Nevada mountains or the Colorado River or something? I would guess that’s why they charge so much. I’ve never been to LA, but it kinda sounds like a shithole. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/5 "2009-10-10T18:24:49Z")
Be happy you can get _any_ water in a goddamned desert, dude. I’m sure the Owens Valley would love to hear your complaining. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/6 "2009-10-10T18:31:21Z")
> [@Michael\_Ellis](#): > > Be happy you can get _any_ water in a goddamned desert, dude. I’m sure the Owens Valley would love to hear your complaining. Yes, they are complaining about LA’s consumption the entire way up the rest of that river, just as they complain about Texas water rights disputes on the Rio Grande up through New Mexico. LA is the ultimate testament to man’s mastery over nature, but it doesn’t come cheap. Whenever I think of how LA was constructed I am awed by what a marvelous construction New York City is by comparison. This city is just so damned efficient just by virtue of its pretty good city planning over the course of its life. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/7 "2009-10-10T18:36:35Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Yes, they are complaining about LA’s consumption the entire way up the rest of that river, just as they complain about Texas water rights disputes on the Rio Grande up through New Mexico. LA is the ultimate testament to man’s mastery over nature, but it doesn’t come cheap. Whenever I think of how LA was constructed I am awed by what a marvelous construction New York City is by comparison. This city is just so damned efficient just by virtue of its pretty good city planning over the course of its life. Being built mostly on three islands does wonders for eliminating sprawl. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/8 "2009-10-10T18:58:44Z")
> [@Michael\_Ellis](#): > > Being built mostly on three islands does wonders for eliminating sprawl. Heh yeah, but also LA was the quintessential sprawl city. It was built around the automobile in a way few cities were at that point. It is just completely inefficient, everything about LA is imposed upon the cityscape as opposed to living within it. New York is that way too to a degree, but its compact nature allows for the efficient movement of people. Public transit and and efficient road system are very good for New York, though you can get LA traffic on the Jersey Turnpike or Parkway. But we also have a good and solid supply of water that comes from within the same state so we don’t need to worry about inter-state commerce treaties. The vertical nature of the city keeps things close together and as such you can run businesses pretty much anywhere in the city. It’s convenient to walk in. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/9 "2009-10-10T19:34:30Z")
> [@pinkyvee](#): > > My DWP bill increased $200 from last billing period! You have committed the sin Numbers Without Context. How long is a billing period? ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/10 "2009-10-10T21:44:06Z")
I’m been trying but it’s just impossible to work in here, “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown.” ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/11 "2009-10-10T23:14:03Z")
> [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](#): > > You have committed the sin Numbers Without Context. How long is a billing period? I get a bill every other month. My current bill is $6 less than my last one, so I have nothing to complain about. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/12 "2009-10-11T00:38:58Z")
Was it the water or the power (electricity) portion of the bill that increased so dramatically? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/13 "2009-10-11T01:45:02Z")
> [@5-4-Fighting](#): > > I’m been trying but it’s just impossible to work in here, “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown.” You and me both. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/14 "2009-10-11T13:06:39Z")
> [@Michael\_Ellis](#): > > Be happy you can get _any_ water in a goddamned desert, dude. I’m sure the Owens Valley would love to hear your complaining. This is why I’d much rather live in Albuquerque again than in say Phoenix or Las Vegas. They may all be built in a desert, but I feel that Albuquerque is in much better shape water-wise with the aquifer and the San Juan-Chama water that’s just recently being used. And I suppose if it got bad desalinating the Rio Puerco aquifer could become cost-effective. I’d love to move back to New Mexico, though I’m still worried about the water supply. Some day these bills are going to come due for everything we’ve built in the Southwest and it could be ugly. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/15 "2009-10-11T13:32:06Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > Was it the water or the power (electricity) portion of the bill that increased so dramatically? Or more specifically, did you have your central air-conditioning on all through August and September? > [@AudreyK](#): > > My current bill is $6 less than my last one, so I have nothing to complain about. My was about the same…and I don’t have air-conditioning. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/16 "2009-10-12T04:29:53Z")
It’s the fucking (well, this is the Pit) trash fee. We went from no trash fee to a $25-a-month “Solid Waste Resources Fee.” I live in a four unit building and we all share trash bins. It costs $100 a month to pick up a few bins of trash? Really? What really gets me is that I’m always getting flyers from the city about how I can apply for a low-income program that will reduce my gas bill. My gas bill is miniscule compared to my DWP bill. Why isn’t anyone from the city considering what a $50 per pay period hike is doing to my low income? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/17 "2009-10-12T05:00:53Z")
Your state is bankrupt and you’re surprised your (municipal, but still) taxes went up a bit? ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/18 "2009-10-12T08:10:36Z")
> [@St.Anger](#): > > I’ve never been to LA, but it kinda sounds like a shithole. It is the greatest city on earth, as far as I am concerned. Great weather, huge diverse population, close to outdoor wonders, amazing food, what else can you ask for? ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/19 "2009-10-12T13:55:13Z")
> [@Stan\_Shmenge](#): > > It is the greatest city on earth, as far as I am concerned. Great weather, huge diverse population, close to outdoor wonders, amazing food, what else can you ask for? Clean air, lower traffic, more efficient mass transit, affordable cost of living. Nothing big. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318/20 "2009-10-12T14:39:13Z")
> [@Pyper](#): > > What really gets me is that I’m always getting flyers from the city about how I can apply for a low-income program that will reduce my gas bill. My gas bill is miniscule compared to my DWP bill. Why isn’t anyone from the city considering what a $50 per pay period hike is doing to my low income? Of course they know. It’s moving your income into their income. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/los-angeles-dwp-and-lost-angeles-in-general/513318.md?page=2)