Los Angeles Will Shut Off People's Utilities For Hosting Parties, Not For Failing To Pay Their Utility Bills
Mayor Eric Garcetti's plan to shut off utility service to violators of bans on private gatherings poses grave civil liberties and due process concerns.
reason.com
Mayor Eric Garcetti's plan to shut off utility service to violators of bans on private gatherings poses grave civil liberties and due process concerns.
The state of California has barred investor-owned utilities from shutting off service to customers for non-payment until April 16 of next year. This doesn't affect public utilities like DWP, although The Los Angeles Times reports the department has voluntarily agreed to suspend service shutoffs.
Other communities that have experimented with utility shut-off orders during COVID-19 have run into opposition on constitutional grounds.
When Salisbury, Massachusetts, issued an order shutting of publicly provided water to vacation homes in the hopes of preventing out-of-towners from summering there, thus preventing the spread of COVID-19, the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) sent a letter to the town arguing the policy was unconstitutional.