A Clean Energy Future Built With Our Communities, Not Around Them.
Los Angeles is on the verge of something historic. LADWP — the nation’s largest public utility — is leading a bold transition to 100% renewable energy. We believe that transition can also be a turning point for equity. But only if we build it together.
LEAP LA members, Strategic Concepts for Organizing & Policy Education (SCOPE LA), Esperanza Community Housing, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, Pacoima Beautiful, Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous People, Communities for a Better Environment have spent years organizing alongside residents in South LA, the San Fernando Valley, and Central Los Angeles — communities that have long carried a disproportionate burden of energy costs. We’ve seen what’s at stake, and we’ve also seen what’s possible when public institutions and the people they serve work toward a shared goal.
LADWP is already doing meaningful work. And as a publicly owned utility, it has something investor-owned utilities don’t: a direct mandate to serve Angelenos. Our new policy report is about helping LADWP fulfill that mandate by identifying concrete steps it can take right now, and the structural support it needs from the city and state to go further.
The opportunity
“Los Angeles can demonstrate that publicly owned utilities are capable of delivering climate leadership without sacrificing affordability — and that community-led advocacy is what makes it possible.”
- Expand protections for vulnerable household
- Broaden shutoff moratoriums and streamline enrollment in discount programs so no one loses power because they can’t pay.
- Make affordability visible in every decision
- Publicly track disconnections, arrears, and enrollment data — disaggregated by zip code — so community voices can inform rate-setting and infrastructure choices.
- Pursue shared solutions to debt relief
- Pilot arrearage forgiveness programs and income-based repayment plans that stabilize households and strengthen LADWP’s own financial footing.
