{"id":195063,"date":"2021-07-19T05:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/?p=195063"},"modified":"2023-04-19T10:06:11","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T17:06:11","slug":"california-utility-bills-payment-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/_ko\/california-divide\/2021\/07\/california-utility-bills-payment-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Unpaid utility bills? California will pay off $2 billion to avoid shutoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

In summary<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

Lawmakers have agreed to pay off $2 billion of Californians’ utilities debt, but haven\u2019t extended the shutoff moratoria past Sept. 30. One family’s experience of surviving a heat wave without water or power reveals what\u2019s at stake.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n

Lea este art\u00edculo en\u00a0<\/em>espa\u00f1ol<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two years ago the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power shut off electricity at Will Hollman\u2019s home in the San Fernando Valley, forcing the family to rely on a gasoline generator. In late June of this year, the department disconnected the water, too \u2014 despite a statewide moratorium on water shutoffs<\/a> that Gov. Gavin Newsom recently extended through Sept. 30<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hollman, his 10-year-old son and his 16-year-old stepdaughter endured 11 days of temperatures in the high 90s to low 100s without water or power. For 11 days, they camped out in air-conditioned grocery stores, Starbucks or his truck. They couchsurfed and used friends’ showers. Hollman played it off with the kids as some kind of fun obstacle course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called the department\u2019s customer service, and said a representative told him that he must pay off his utility debt of $9,064.13 \u2014 largely consisting of charges that Hollman disputes as erroneous \u2014 before water or power could be restored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been demoralizing, humiliating,\u201d Hollman said on the eighth day. \u201cI have a history of paying my bills, working, being a good provider. You… start having feelings of failure as a parent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately the state\u2019s water agency convinced the LA department to turn on Hollman\u2019s water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those 11 days without water or power are a window into what could happen to millions of Californians in the coming months and years, depending on how swiftly and effectively the state distributes relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official estimates of unpaid water and energy bills accumulated during the pandemic verge on $2.7 billion, affecting a few million Californians \u2014 and those figures have been growing<\/a> rapidly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state has so far prioritized rent relief \u2014 keeping people housed \u2014 over utilities relief. A spokesperson for the state\u2019s COVID-19 Rent Relief program said that of the $158 million distributed as of July 16, less than $40,000 had gone to utilities relief. Utility debt makes up about 6% of all assistance requested so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 11, lawmakers revealed a plan to use one-time federal relief money to address the debt. The deal is a patchwork of new programs to forgive $2 billion of utilities debt and old programs to help households chip away at the rest, with a wide range of eligibility criteria and timelines. But it doesn\u2019t extend current shutoff moratoria past Sept. 30. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
<\/div>