1. Alpert: “We Now Have One of the Best (LADWP) Commissions”
(News/Lead-Story)

...non Alpert (Note: This is a response from LADWP Board of Commissioners President, Lee Kanon Alpert to Jack Humphreville’s CityWatch article “Something is Out of Whack.”) T...

2. The Stench on Vine
(News/Lead-Story)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville There is the good news and bad news regarding the proposed CRA gift of $4.6 million to a Class A office building at 1601 North Vine in Hollywood, located bet

3. The Parking Screw Job
(News/8-Box)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville The City is wishing and hoping that the sale of the City’s revenue producing parking facilities will result in a $53 million contribution to the General Fund

4. Something is Out of Whack!
(News/Lead-Story)

DWP PROTECTING RATEPAYERS? Jack Humphreville You know something is out of whack when our environmentally oriented Department of Water and Power is willing to take on the politically powerful, w

5. Here’s What LA’s Independent Ratepayers Advocate Should Be Doing … Or Not!
(News/8-Box)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville What is the role and responsibility of the independent Ratepayers Advocate?  In previous articles, the role of the Ratepayers Advocate was to review and analy

6. Even More Lipstick On the Pig
(News/8-Box)

POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES Jack Humphreville What has the City been doing for the last six months regarding the ill-conceived sale of the City’s Parking Facilities? On February 5,  the

7. The Unpleasant Aroma of a CRA Deal
(News/8-Box)

1601 N VINE Jack Humphreville On August 10, the City Council was ready to approve a sweetheart development deal with Hal Katersky’s Pacifica Ventures for a $57 million Class A office buil

8. Want an Independent Ratepayers Advocate? Show Me the Money!
(News/Lead-Story)

PROPER FUNDING CRITICAL Jack Humphreville As a result of the very expensive and embarrassing ECAF Fiasco, there is a general agreement on the need for a truly independent Ratepayers Advocate to

9. The Haircut
(News/Lead-Story)

POLITICAL PARABLE Jack Humphreville   One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I cannot accept money from you

10. The Rape of Recreation & Parks
(News/By Lines)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville This fiscal year, the cash strapped City unilaterally imposed a $17.5 million General Fund Cost Reimbursement charge on the Department of Recreation & Parks.

11. Deadline Nears for Ratepayers Advocate Ballot Measure
(News/By Lines)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville As a result of the ECAF Fiasco, there is a general consensus for the need for an independent Ratepayers Advocate to oversee the Department of Water & Power.&nb

12. Who’s Footing the Bill
(News/In Case You Missed It)

ALARCON INDICTMENT Jack Humphreville (Note: LA City Councilman Richard Alarcon pled not guilty on Wednesday to a 24-count felony indictment accusing him of voter fraud and perjury. [LINK ] Her

13. DWP Finally Getting the Message?
(News/In Case You Missed It)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville          Enough is enough!  The Mayor has decided to end his self induced “food fight” involving the Energ

14. Payback Time at the DWP?
(News/In Case You Missed It)

SELECTIVE SCRUTINY Jack Humphreville At the Thursday, July 22 meeting of the Board of Commissioners of our Department of Water & Power, discussion on the dispersing payments directly to PA

15. When is DWP Going to Get the Message?
(Archived /News/8-Box)

LA COUNCIL-DWP SPAT WEARS ON Jack Humphreville The Mayor’s ECAF Fiasco Continues. At the last meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Department of Water & Power, management

16. Pension Elephant Tax: Not Any Time Soon
(Archived /News/More CityWatch)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville What are Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council doing to address the out of control pension costs that threaten the City’s solvency?

17. Porch Dog Commissioner
(Archived /News/8-Box)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville Hot times in Los Angeles!  But fortunately, the hard working professionals at our Department of Water & Power have been able to provide us with reliable p

18. Wassup with the Pension Elephant?
(Archived /News/8-Box)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville In the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, City contributions to the Los Angeles City Employee Retirement System (“LACERS”) and the Fire & Police Pen

19. DWP Ratepayers: Storming to the Ballot
(Archived /News/In Case You Missed It)

LA WATCHDOG Press Release In a strongly worded press release, City Council President Eric Garcetti called for a truly independent Ratepayers Advocate to bring “accountability, transparenc

20. LaLa Land Accounting
(Archived /News/8-Box)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville In June, the City raised more than $1.2 billion from two semi-successful offerings of bonds and notes, not an easy task given the City’s chronic deficit, its

21. Who Is Christina Noonan and Why You Should Care?
(Archived /News/8-Box)

DWP MUSICAL CHAIRS, CONT. Jack Humphreville Mayor Villaraigosa announced that he will nominate Christina Noonan to the Board of Commissioners of our Department of Water and Power.

22. Does Anybody Trust the DWP?
(Archived /News/8-Box)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville The ECAF Fiasco, the Villaraigosa created crisis that the bumbling Department of Water and Power refuses to let die, is living proof of why we need an experienced,

23. Ways to Kill Faith in City Government
(Archived /News/8-Box)

ALPERN AT LARGE Ken Alpern And to think that we’ve misconstrued LA City Government as being inefficient!  Yes, the bungling and ineptitude has been there for all of us to witness for

24. Who Is City Hall Trying to Fool?
(Archived /News/8-Box)

THE NEW MATH Jack Humphreville What’s not to like about the Los Angeles Public Library?  We have one of the finest library systems in the country, consisting of our recently renovate

25. The November Ballot: Voter Fatigue Already
(Archived /News/8-Box)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville In addition to the high profile races for Governor and US Senator, voters are being presented with 10 propositions on the November ballot.

26. Forget It Jake, It’s Dodgertown
(Archived /News/In Case You Missed It)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville After 78 games, the Los Angeles Dodgers are in second place in the National League West and a game behind the New York Mets in the Wild Card race. No wonder the Ma

27. DWP Finally has a Long Term Strategy, Now Let’s Talk Costs
(Archived /News/By Lines)

LA WATCHDOG Jack Humphreville Earlier this month, Austin Beutner, the new Interim General Manager of the Department of Water and Power, presented an overview of DWP’s long term strategy

28. For Sale: DWP Headquarters
(Archived /News/8-Box)

DOESN’T MAKE SENSE Jack Humphreville One of the potential sources of capital to fund the $50 to $60 billion investment program envisioned by the Department of Water and Power’s Long

29. “I am Very Focused on Pension Reform”
(Archived /News/By Lines)

CROSSTALK Dennis Zine I read Jack Humphreville’s CityWatch columns “Pension Elephant: Getting Uglier” [LINK] and “What is the City Hiding?” [LINK ]  I would

30. McClain Challenges Hatfield
(Archived /News/More CityWatch)

...OVOKE Marshall McClain (Employee pensions are critical part of the City’s financial dilemma. Jack Humphreville has called it the elephant in the budget room. Thus, CityWatch continues to...