Results tagged “inlosangeles”

In Los Angeles, LAist most definitely celebrated Thanksgiving like no other. After all, one has to keep up all the energy to keep on walking the line at the Writers Strike and fighting the unfortunate return of the wildfires in Malibu, which single handedly destroyed over fifty homes within the first 24 hours. National outlets may be covering the fires, but CNN also found it is easier to buy a gun than fruit and veggies in South Central. On the entertainment front, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are suing Showtime over the show titled Californication and Rami Kashou of Project Runway chatted with LAist about his Palestinian heritage and, of course, designing beauty.

While the city is working on plans to keep the Big Apple sustainable through 2030, reading the NY Times article about how the city "fails to collect millions in unpaid water bills" is a funny counterpoint. It's like a trip down the rabbit hole, with various tales of insanity. For instance, there's the Niger's U.N. mission, which hasn't paid $120,000 in bills since 1998! The city still asks companies that have been bankrupt for 30 years to pay their bills. Then there's Joseph Mannino in Staten Island who has been charged over $250,000 in under 10 years for a small building (officials suggest Mannino might have a leaking toilet somewhere). What's interesting, though, is that the city hasn't turned off the water ever.

Since 1999, the city has had the legal right to suspend water service to residential accounts that were delinquent for more than two years. But it alone among big cities has never turned off the taps to a residence, though its rates are among the lowest of major cities.

Continue reading "Why Pay for Water When Others Don't"