The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Tuesday disputed the claims of a Canoga Park man who sued the agency seeking to restore service he claims he has lacked since his landlord became delinquent on her own $20,000 bill last fall.
Bryan James maintains in a Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that he has had to use a trash can as a restroom and travel to his mother’s Bakersfield home just to take a shower. But in a statement released Tuesday, the DWP said the agency does not refuse service to tenants for a landlord’s delinquency.
“However, LADWP requires reasonable supporting documentation, such as a valid lease, before starting service where there is a delinquency at the premise,” according to the statement, which further explains that water and power were restored on May 7 and 9, respectively, when a new tenant provided a valid lease.
The DWP initially disconnected water and electric service in late 2024 in compliance with state law due to a delinquency on the account as well as at the request of the landlord, who has a longstanding delinquent balance, according to the DWP.
DWP customer representatives informed the parties that the issue was a private matter between them and not a DWP issue, the statement further reads.
According to James’ court papers, he moved into a guest house on Community Street in 2018. His landlord became $20,000 delinquent on her DWP bill and all of Bryan’s services were cut last October, his court papers state.