Letter to the Editor:
The Los Angeles Times has uncovered that secretive Colorado River talks are taking place, shaping decisions that will soon hit Burbank families in their monthly bills. Burbank Water and Power relies heavily on water imported through the Metropolitan Water District. When cuts or costs rise on the Colorado River, Burbank is one of the first to feel it.
This is not just a water issue—it’s a democracy issue. Our city is left vulnerable because we are crammed into a congressional district where water realities differ wildly. Los Angeles neighborhoods have LADWP’s Owens Valley aqueduct and State Project water as a buffer. Burbank doesn’t. Yet we’re represented by the same single frozen House seat, with no one dedicated to fighting for our particular vulnerability.
Congress has been stuck at 435 seats since 1911. That means Burbank’s water ratepayers are effectively voiceless when federal and interstate water deals are struck. A micro-district system would ensure that communities like ours—most dependent on MWD and the Colorado River—finally have a seat at the table.
When it comes to water, secrecy and underrepresentation is a recipe for higher rates and lower trust. Burbank deserves better. It’s time to unfreeze Congress and bring real representation home.
Pini Herman
Candidate for Congress, CA-30
Editor’s Note: Former Burbank Mayor Marsha Ramos sits on the MWD Board and presents the City Council with detailed reports regularly about all aspects of the water system Burbank receives.
That is a particularly heinous typo, folks. Do you just not care??
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