Lack of transparency

Users are entitled to know how the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) spends their money. The lack of transparency with which the agency operates is once again reflected in the refusal to disclose how $40 million in public money was spent.

The DWP created two nonprofits, the Joint Training Institute and the Joint Safety Institute, after a series of layoffs in the 1990s. The purpose was to promote communication and mutual trust and respect within the DWP, as well as to enhance employee safety and training.

They allocated $4 million per year to the institutes, in addition to the $115 million per year that the DWP devotes to labor safety and training. Control of the organizations was placed in the hands of DWP managers and union leaders.

In short, more than $40 million has been spent in the last decade, and no one really knows where this money ended up. It is known that high salaries and trips were paid for, but the details remain in the dark.

Moreover, the union representatives who control the funds are refusing to provide information to City Controller Ron Galperin, who wants to audit both organizations. Galperin has the authority and was elected to do just that in an election where IBEW Local 18, which represents DWP workers, placed its money against Mayor Eric Garcetti.

The high profile adopted by the DWP’s union and its culture of secrecy place the power company in the public spotlight. The refusal to account for the use of public funds does nothing more than sow suspicion and doubts about how the money was used.

We hope that by January 8 the controller is provided with the requested information for the public and that

the DWP begins to conduct itself with the transparency that users deserve.