Lectures, lavish spending and sky-high bills: The dismal recent record of LADWP

LA’s troubled utility has delivered a familiar lesson along with its water and power: Government has almost no incentive to spend other people’s money wisely.Indeed, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has stuck ratepayers with costs that good financial stewards would not have abided.These include far-left climate fancies that do near-zero to alter global temperatures — and, as The California Post reported this week, extravagant labor expenses.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story The Post found that LADWP shelled out a whopping $3.84 million to its five highest-paid employees in 2025; all five received more in overtime than in regular pay.One worker took in more than $779,000, another banked more than $505,000 just in OT, and 114 employees collected more than $500K apiece.Meanwhile, ratepayers’ bills are soaring. Customers point to opaque costs that jump, sometimes by multiples, for no apparent reason. That’s why Micah Reed, a San Fernando Valley resident with a $3,322.01 LADWP bill, gathered more than 39,000 signatures on a change.org petition to request an independent audit, along with summer rate relief. Those are reasonable asks.And LADWP is not alone in freely spending ratepayers’ money.The California Post reported on Wednesday that the Santa Clara Valley Water District will pay three CEOs (former, interim and incoming) simultaneously for a portion of next year — at a combined two-month cost of $840,000, before benefits. Yikes.How bad has a board’s management been when it sticks ratepayers with three overlapping salaries for the same top position?California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, XCalifornia Post Opinion California...