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Welcome!

Who We Are

The Office of Public Accountability (OPA) is your official Ratepayer Advocate in the City of Los Angeles. Our office protects the interests of the 4 million Angelenos and quarter-million businesses who depend on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) for water and power. OPA is a department within the City of Los Angeles established by a voter-approved City Charter amendment and has a core mission to promote transparency and accountability at LADWP. OPA operates independently of LADWP to help ensure the utility delivers safe, reliable, affordable, clean service, while actively supporting the City’s goals for climate action, equity, and long-term sustainability. 

Our Mission and Focus

Under Section 23.144 of the Los Angeles City Charter, the mission of the Office of Public Accountability (OPA) / Ratepayer Advocate is:

  1. The OPA shall seek to improve the performance of the DWP by analyzing and reporting on the reasonableness of water and power utility rates, the DWP’s long-term strategic planning documents, and other DWP policies, procedures, decisions, contracts, and programs, including assessing the reasonableness of such proposals and the assumptions upon which they are based.

  2. The OPA shall provide information and make recommendations to the Board, the City Council, the Mayor, Neighborhood Councils, and the public to assure the DWP’s transparency and accountability to its customers and reasonableness of its policies and rates.

  3. The OPA shall provide information and advice, as opposed to direction, to the DWP, the Mayor and Council.

As an office that functions independently of the LADWP and its management structure, and of the City Council, Mayor and Controller, the OPA executes its statutory mission by 1) standing as an independent voice that safeguards the public trust and advocates for ratepayers, and 2) focused on ensuring transparent, data-driven oversight of LADWP.   A central goal of the office is to support LADWP in achieving critical climate, water, and equity goals, while tirelessly working to maintain affordability and resilience for all. The OPA / Ratepayer Advocate is further guided by the notion that it should represent a model for utility oversight, public engagement and finding the balance between ratepayer protections and meeting ambitious utility goals.  It endeavors to accomplish this through rigorous pursuit of performance improvement and transparency via engagement with the Utility, City Council, Mayor, Neighborhood Councils, and the public.   

Our Guiding Principles

Rigorous and Accurate Analysis

Applying technically robust and evidence-based analysis to development of utility programs and rate structures

Strong and effective advocacy

Shaping utility approaches and city-wide programs as they are developed 

Economic and environmental sustainability

Promoting solutions that work for ratepayers in the long term 

Equitable Access

Building a more equitable energy and water system on the city and  planet we share

Direct Engagement

Working directly with stakeholders to understand needs and communicate challenges and opportunities 

Vibrant culture

Supporting a utility and OPA culture that empowers staff to engage in solutions and deliver their best work for Los Angeles

Our Strategic Approach

Achieving our mission in alignment with our principles, the OPA / Ratepayer Advocate works to ensure LADWP offers best-in-class affordable, sustainable, and transparent service to its customers.  In furtherance of our mission and focus, we work within four main strategic approaches :

Woman doing finances at a wooden desk

Communicating and advocating for ratepayer needs and priorities

  • Support increased public participation with ratepayer advocate
  • Ensure money is spent in the ratepayers’ best interest
  • Encourage efficiency and advocate for rates that reflect costs
  • Focus utility efforts on impactful ratepayer programs (e.g., affordability, conservation, etc.)
Magnifying glass over the words Balance Sheet on a piece of paper

Increasing transparency of utility decisions and programs

  • Ensure transparent information is available to enable effective public participation
  • Ensure available information is clear and understandable
  • Help ratepayers have greater insight into their bills
Man installing solar panel

Pursuing energy and water goals that are core to reliable and sustainable utility service

  • Quantify value of meeting energy and water goals for ratepayers
  • Engage LADWP’s development of water and energy programs to focus on reasonableness, affordability, achievability, and equitable access
Gold medal with red ribbon

Supporting LADWP's effort to be a best-in-class utility, supported by a best-in class ratepayer advocate

  • Create and support mechanisms for authentic public involvement with the ratepayer advocate and LADWP
  • Support utility operational and reliability excellence
  • Ensure a utility commitment to best practices for cost and revenue requirement analysis
  • Support cross-department and cross-city relationships to support advocacy and coordinate initiatives

Engage With our Office

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Contact us about an issue or question

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