Senator Scott Wilk, R-Antelope Valley, and Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, today issued a formal letter of inquiry to the California Public Utilities Commission – the state agency responsible for setting utility rates throughout California – regarding rates and fees charged by Cal Water for its approximately 1,100 water connections in the Antelope Valley region.
“Today’s inquiry will help arm us with the information we need to ensure that rates being charged in the Antelope Valley are fair and equitable,” said Wilk. “Everyone deserves access to clean, affordable water; however rate increases for some residents in the Antelope Valley have created a barrier to that goal. We want to know how and why rates have increased 215 percent over the last twelve years so we can fix the problem.”
The letter stems from complaints from ratepayers that Cal Water’s rates have increased to exorbitant levels and that, coupled with various fees also being charged, have created a financially unsustainable situation for many residents. The rates paid by Cal Water customers in Lancaster are substantially higher than what the neighboring water districts are charging.
“It is crucial that we ensure our folks in the Antelope Valley are not being overcharged by the utility companies we trust to provide them with clean and affordable water,” said Lackey. “Senator Wilk and I are here to ensure Cal Water is properly serving its customers in Antelope Valley by providing reasonable rates and this letter is the first step in our engagement to do that.”
Senator Wilk and Assemblyman Lackey are also looking at legislative remedies to this issue and plan to introduce a bill early in the 2018 legislative session if the issue has not been resolved through other avenues by the start of next year.
Letter can be found here.
Senator Scott Wilk and Assemblyman Tom Lackey represent the 21st Senate and 36th Assembly districts covering the Santa Clarita, Antelope and Victor valleys.