SAN FERNANDO VALLEY : Water Rate Compromise Ruled Discriminatory

A compromise proposal to settle a rancorous Los Angeles City Council dispute over residential water rates has been declared discriminatory by the city attorney’s office, officials said Tuesday.

The finding jeopardizes a new water-rate formula that would provide breaks to water users who live on large lots, in warmer climates or with large families.

If the proposed formula is not drafted and approved within the next three weeks, Department of Water and Power officials fear that they will not be able to implement the new rates in time for summer. Under the current rate structure, some San Fernando Valley residents pay water bills as high as $900 during hot months.

Valley Councilwoman Laura Chick said she plans to meet with city attorney’s representatives in the hope of finding a way to salvage the proposal. Last week, the council deadlocked on the proposed formula. Councilwoman Jackie Goldberg offered an amendment that would automatically give a break to residents within certain ZIP codes where large families are prevalent.

But Gerald Gewe, the DWP’s director of water resource planning, said the city attorney’s office told him that the Goldberg amendment was discriminatory because it would benefit residents within the ZIP codes even if they have small families, while small families elsewhere would not get relief.