June 27, 2019 

By Susan Cox 

Special to the L.A. Watts Times 

There’s good news for Southern California Edison customers with limited incomes who need help keeping the lights on.

Effective June 1, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced new 2019-2020 income qualified guidelines for three financial assistance programs—California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE), Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) and Energy Savings Assistance (ESA). The income changes mean more SCE customers may be eligible to receive program discounts of up to 30 percent on their monthly electric bill.

“These financial assistance programs support those who need help paying their electricity bill,” said Eugene Ayuyao, senior manager, SCE Customer Programs and Services.  “SCE wants to make sure its eligible customers are aware of the updated income guidelines for these discount programs and encourage them to apply so they can save money on their monthly bill and meet their energy needs.” 

The CARE program provides SCE income-qualified customers a discount of approximately 30 percent on their monthly electric bill.  The FERA program gives an 18 percent reduction on monthly electric bills to qualified households of three or more.

Approximately one-third of SCE’s residential customers are enrolled in income-qualified programs that offer bill discounts and free energy-efficiency products and services.

Under the ESA program, eligible customers may qualify for free energy-efficiency products and services which may include a new energy-efficient replacement refrigerator, lightbulbs and other energy-savings appliances or energy conservation services to help them save money on their SCE electric bill.

Eligibility for financial assistance programs is based on annual household income and the number of people in a household. Customers on limited incomes, or those who participate in government assistance programs, are encouraged to apply. 

SCE does not inquire about the citizenship or legal status of customers in the provision of services, does not share customer information with outside groups or agencies without the customer’s consent, and does not require proof of residency for customers to participate in customer assistance programs.

Customers who are not eligible for income-qualified programs can work with SCE staff on payment arrangements that could spread out their payments and help during difficult times.

To learn more about SCEs income qualified programs, visit www.sce.com/billhelp or call 1-800-736-4777.

June 27, 2019 

By City News Service 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a settlement with two waste-oil management firms for improperly treating hazardous waste at facilities in Compton and Vernon.

Under the agreement, DeMenno-Kerdoon and D/K Environmental will spend $167,967 on an environmental project to reduce air pollution in local classrooms and pay a $39,092 penalty stemming from violations at the World Oil Recycling facility in Compton and the World Oil Terminals in Vernon, according to EPA.

“EPA will continue to work with these companies to ensure they comply with hazardous waste requirements and can thereby protect surrounding communities,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker.

“We are pleased they will support our continuing investment in bringing air filters to local classrooms.”

The Compton facility stores and treats used oil, waste oil, oily water, and used anti-freeze and ships hazardous waste to off-site disposal facilities. The Vernon facility also stores and transfers hazardous waste.

The EPA’s 2017 inspections identified violations of federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regulations. RCRA rules require the safe management of hazardous waste to protect public health and the environment and to prevent the need for costly and extensive cleanups.

In addition to paying the penalty, the companies will fund the installation of an air filtration system to improve indoor air quality in classrooms in a nearby school or schools. The project will also provide three years of replacement air filters, which are expected to remove more than 90 percent of ultra-fine particulate matter and black carbon from indoor air, according to EPA. 

June 27, 2019 

By ERIC HEINZ 

City News Service 

Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell called on the state today to direct $1.2 billion toward the city's battle against homelessness, matching the amount of a voter-approved municipal bond measure aimed at attacking the problem.

“We need to augment our programs and go beyond and push for 20,000 (supportive housing) units or more,” O’Farrell said, adding that the city’s current goal of 10,000 units would not be enough to house Los Angeles’ homeless population.

“We need to double or triple that amount if we're really serious about solving the homelessness crisis,” the councilman said in front of City Hall. “We are working locally to reduce the cost of Proposition HHH housing as well. We want to make more units more quickly without sacrificing the quality of those units.”

Measure HHH was approved by Los Angeles voters in 2016, authorizing $1.2 billion in bonds to fund supportive and affordable housing, along with other measures to address homelessness.

O’Farrell, who chairs the council's Homelessness and Poverty Committee, said Los Angeles is the only city in the state that has taxed itself to build supportive housing. He said 1,400 units will be open by the end of the year and more supportive housing units will be approved for construction soon.

Figures from the most recent Southland homeless count found that more than 36,000 people are homeless in the city of Los Angeles, an increase of 16 percent since last year. Countywide, the homeless population jumped by 12 percent.

“These numbers ... are depressing, outrageous, mind-numbing,” O’Farrell said. “What we need is a paradigm shift in our thinking and in our determination across all levels of government. We must create a sustainable and robust system for addressing this crisis. It is the challenge of our day.”

The councilman said the state needs to make changes in the Ellis Act, which allows owners to opt out of the rental market, and the Costa Hawkins Act, which restricts the implementation of rent control ordinances in certain circumstances.

He also said the federal government needs to participate in finding solutions to the problem. O'Farrell said federal funding for homeless issues decreased from $55 million a year in 2008 to $30 million in 2012, when the crisis was expanding. Recently implemented federal tax policy may also be contributing to the city’s increasing population, and officials are analyzing the effects of those policies, the councilman said.

O’Farrell introduced several motions during Wednesday’s council meeting, including a request to hold a homeless and poverty summit, and another calling on the city to coordinate Housing Department resources to find vacant units and house people faster.

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority officials said during the council meeting that based on the 2019 numbers, the county is housing people at a slower rate than people are falling into homelessness.

“The heart of homelessness is the inflow of people,” said Phil Ansell, director of the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative. “We have doubled the number of people moving into permanent housing, while at the same time we had a 12 percent increase. On average, 133 families escaped homelessness each day, but 150 people became homeless per day.”

Ansell said if the city and county can move people into permanent housing faster, they could rapidly accelerate the process of moving people into interim housing. But he noted that interim housing should not be viewed as the final solution to solving homelessness.