Renter Water Disconnection to be Addressed at Tuesday Meeting

A Lincoln Avenue Water Company representative will be at Tuesday's Town Council meeting to discuss a growing problem with Altadena residents who are unable to pay their water bill or whose landlords cancel their water services, according to Bob Hayward, the director of the water company.

The issue stems from recent cases where Town Council members have asked for intervention on behalf of residents unable to pay their water bills, Hayward said.

The company, which is privately owned, does not have a program for low-income residents, and would require funding to institute one, he added.

"We have a number of customers who ... fall into this category: senior citizens, disabled, single parents, people with a lot of household responsibilities," Hayward said.

Over at the Altadenablog, editor Tim Rutt has some more details of one of the recent cases that has caused the issue to come to light.  According to his report, a disabled woman is living at a house that is supposed to be vacant and does not have a water connection.  Rutt reports that she may have been victim of a rental scam, with a landlord with no title to the house.

Hayward said that while everyone sees the problem, nobody has come forward with a plan on how to pay when a landlord disconnects the service.

"Everybody wants to help everybody, but nobody has the deep pockets," Hayward said.

He said there are cases where landlords have disputes with their tenants over rent and want to evict them, but are unable to do so. Instead, he said, they cancel their accounts with Lincoln Avenue Water Company as a way to help force the eviction.

The water company does not have a clear policy on how to handle these issues, nor the financial wherewithal to just keep the water flowing, Hayward said.

He said the problem requires government intervention on several levels, and hopes that county officials will get involved before the problem becomes too widespread.

"It's just going to keep getting worse," Hayward said.

The full agenda for Tuesday's meeting, which takes place at 7 p.m. at the , is posted at right.