The award for the best city manipulator goes to Brian D'Arcy for 2007.
He is business manager for IBEW Local 18 Los Angeles who represents 8000 LADWP workers. He has managed to get the City of Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Los Angeles City Council to cave in to his union demands. Now he is working over LADWP the same agency his union members work for. This once again proves the unions really run this city.

This year IBEW Local 18 made LADWP employees the highest paid city workers. The average employee salary became $79,000 per year. These high salaries come right off the top of the LADWP collected ratepayers money. This has caused a shortage of funds for rebuilding the infrastructure of our water and power system. This has caused severe rate increases for water and power.

The unions demands have made it very difficult and almost impossible for LADWP to rid themselves of employees that are not doing their jobs, who sit around all day and do nothing while they collect high salaries and wait for retirement too collect huge pensions. Much of the work supposed to be done in house by LADWP employees is sub contracted at higher prices because our city agency workers do not know how to do the jobs and are not getting the necessary education.

The problems with LADWP are not all credited to the union. The city civil service system has held back the hiring of new employees because of antiquated requirements. The backlog is vast and the majority applications are turned away. This problem needs to be addressed now.

Mr. D'Arcy has mailed all of us his propaganda video Crisis-LADWP. He has spent millions of his union members dues, and Working California Non-Profit, to produce this video telling us that it's LADWP fault that the infrastructure is failing and not providing the safe and reliable water and power to all Los Angeles residents. This video is really spin control and shifting the blame from his union control of gouging all of the residents of Los Angeles to pay for high salaries through rate increases to making the executives of LADWP wake up and take care of business.

It's time we refuse to be abused. Don't just vote for union endorsed candidates next municipal elections. Learn why the unions back these individuals. Our politicians should work for the citizens of this great city and not the unions.

Leonard Horowitz author of this letter is owner of California Utility Services. For the past 5 years he has independently marketed a hidden Public Works- Bureau of Sanitation program, water sub meters, that allow homeowners, property owners, and HOA to reduce their sewer service charges. Savings can be as high as 80% and payback within 1 year. Call California Utility Services 1-800-400-1727 now. They will do it all for you. Get LADBS permit, get certified LADWP water sub meter and install.