Mayor Karen Bass Mandates DWP Utility Shutoff Moratorium as City Council Enacts Permanent ED 1 Affordable Housing Law

Mayor Karen Bass Halts Utility Disconnections Across Los Angeles Through Year-End

LOS ANGELES, California — Confronting severe utility cost pressures following unprecedented late-summer heatwaves, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued executive directives mandating that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) pause all residential power shutoffs for nonpayment through December 31, 2026. The executive order responds to mounting household utility burdens across the San Fernando Valley, East Los Angeles, and South LA, allowing struggling residents to pay what they can afford while city auditors review fuel-adjustment rates and billing algorithms.

Mayor Bass encouraged impacted Angelenos to enroll in municipal debt smoothing programs, including Level Pay and the Lifeline discount framework, ensuring no household is left without essential electricity and cooling as seasonal temperatures fluctuate.

City Council Codifies Executive Directive 1 into Enforceable Affordable Housing Ordinance

Inside council chambers at City Hall, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to codify Mayoral Executive Directive 1 (ED 1) into permanent municipal statutory law. By establishing streamlined, ministerial approval pipelines that bypass lengthy environmental reviews and administrative delays for 100% deed-restricted affordable housing, the landmark ordinance secures nearly 50,000 affordable and permanent supportive housing units currently moving through city development pipelines.

Housing leaders emphasized that converting emergency executive mandates into statutory law provides non-profit developers with long-term certainty to finance and build attainable workforce housing across high-opportunity transit corridors.

Olympic Transit Framework Mobilizes 500 Electric Buses Under 'Games for All' Agenda

Simultaneously advancing international mobility benchmarks for the upcoming 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) and municipal transportation planners approved the 'Highland Fleets' partnership. The agreement repurposes 500 zero-emission electric buses during seasonal breaks, integrates them with dedicated rapid bus lanes, and expands civilian Transit Ambassador deployments to guarantee secure, sustainable regional transit connecting Downtown LA, Exposition Park, and the San Fernando Valley.