Los Angeles, Ca

Southern Californians hit with skyrocketing electricity bills

Published

1 year ago

August 16, 2024

Southern Californians hit with skyrocketing electricity bills

If your electric bill this month was sky high, it wasn’t just scorching summer heat that was to blame, and you’re NOT alone. Many Southern California Edison customers are feeling the heat living with the TOU pricing system: That’s ‘Time of Use.’

Put into effect in 2020 and 2021, TOU pricing is exactly what it says: You pay different rates for your electricity depending on the time of day you are using it. As SCE puts it, it costs more to produce and deliver electricity during different times of day, so this is supposed to provide “an incentive for customers to shift electricity use away from more expensive peak hours.”

SCE admits rates will generally be higher during summer weekday afternoons. If you run the AC, work at home, do laundry during those hours, you are paying MORE than if you wait and do those things during later or off-peak hours.

We asked SCE for specific data on what the TOU pricing has done to people’s bills.

It didn’t provide that info. Anecdotally, this user (I am an SCE customer) has seen the afternoon TOU bill get much larger, especially with two kids home during the hot southern California summer.

While working on this story, we received email after email from KTLA viewers:

Linda Lynch, a KTLA viewer in the Antelope Valley, was shocked to see that her electric bill skyrocketed to $900 this month, hundreds MORE than usual. Linda writes that she can barely afford food, never mind electricity.

We should point out that the Antelope Valley in Southern California saw excessive heat warnings issued for stretches of days this month. The warnings are issued when heat is forecast to be extreme and often come with an advisory to keep cool and only go out if necessary.

And Linda wasn’t the ONLY one who emailed.

Carla Chang writes, “Hello! Please look into whyyyyyy Edison is charging so much for electricity. People are receiving $600-$1000 bills.”

Sarah Clifford sent us her bill which was $1128 this month alone, and Sara says that’s the “discounted rate.” Sarah says she keeps her thermostat at 78 degrees whenever possible.

Melissa Avalos says, “There has been a rise in our electricity bills that is beyond this earth. We went from paying $86 dollars a month to $400 dollars a month and don’t even run our air at night. Something needs to be done as we are seniors and barely making enough to cover this increase.”

Not all of this may be due to TOU pricing, although at least some of these are SCE customers on TOU rates. After all, it has been a record-breaking hot summer. But many are asking—IS THIS FAIR?

People use electricity when they need it. People pay their electric bills. Why should people be penalized because they need to use electricity in the middle of the afternoon?

We put the question to KTLA consumer expert David Lazarus.

“Time of use pricing for power might strike some as unfair,” Lazarus said. “After all, energy is energy. Why should the price change at different times of the day? In fact, it’s a pricing system that makes good economic sense, rewarding consumers for responsible use of resources.”

Lazarus acknowledges that may be little consolation for people getting their bills this month.

When TOU pricing was first put into effect, customers were transitioned into TOU pricing unless they OPTED OUT. Edison points out that if you ARE seeing bills skyrocket with TOU pricing—you CAN still use the rate plan comparison and see if something called a “tiered rate plan” is better.

Under a tiered rate plan, the bill you pay is based on the TOTAL amount of energy you use, regardless of WHEN you use it. Rate Plan Comparison | Rates | Your Home (sce.com). SCE also points out that there are potential discounts for those who qualify and are having trouble paying their bills.

No matter WHICH plan you use, Laz says he’s not surprised customers—especially in lower income brackets—are feeling the squeeze.

“Consumer advocates correctly warn that lower-income households could face higher bills if utilities boost prices during intervals of high demand,” he said. “It’s the same issue ride-share companies ran into when they introduced ‘surge pricing’ – higher fares during times of high demand. Consumers viewed that as a money grab. It’s a perception utilities need to avoid”

Gabriela Ornelas, SCE spokesperson, tells KTLA, “The greatest impact we see on monthly bills is overall energy use, regardless of the rate plan.” She says there IS help available, “We know high electric bills can be hard. We have resources for customers and tips to help save on summer bills.”

Those resources and tips can be found here: https://energized.edison.com/stories/tips-for-customers-to-save-on-summer-bills.

Los Angeles, Ca

Ditch typing and note-taking – try these apps

Published

9 months ago

March 19, 2025

Press Room

Ditch typing and note-taking – try these apps

The future of voice to text is here.

I’ve been testing a variety of tools that make taking notes, transcribing audio, and even voice typing faster and easier than ever.

If you have a smartphone, you’re already halfway there!

Google’s Pixel Recorder app is free and built into their smartphone. It’s excellent for transcribing meetings, lectures, and conversations – all in real time.

Apple’s Voice Memos App recently added transcriptions if you’re upgraded to iOS 18.

Samsung’s Voice recorder app now offers transcripts too – as long as you’re on their latest One UI 7 software. (Check Settings > About Phone > Software Information)

Got an older phone? Try Otter.AI. It works great for transcriptions across devices and you get 300 minutes a month free.

Don’t want to tie up your phone?

I’ve been testing AI-powered digital audio recorders from a startup named Plaud.

The Plaud Note is thin, records for hours, and can even clip to the back of your phone to record calls. Just make sure you know your local laws before using that feature.

The Plaud Pin can be clipped to your shirt or worn on your wrist for hands-free recording.

Both devices sync audio to a companion app that auto transcribes and summarizes.

You get five hours of transcription a month included, with options to pay for more.

Pricing for each gadget starts around $160 dollars.

Want to transcribe audio files on your computer?

My favorite Mac app is MacWhisper. You can even get it completely free – although paid versions are avaialble with more features and options.

On Windows, check out Vibe Transcribe, also free.

And for a web-based option, Whisper Web gets the job done.

Finally, if you want to type less and talk more… there’s an excellent AI voice-to-text app called Wispr Flow. It was previously Mac only but just became avaialble for Windows, too.

One you install it, you pick a hotkey. Then, instead of typing just press and hold down that key and dictate what you want to write.

Since it uses the power of AI, you can even stumble or ramble and it will clean up your words and get the punctionation right.

It’s a gamechanger for responding to emails fast! You get 2,000 words free each week with options to pay for more.

Enjoy your newfound time!

Los Angeles, Ca

Prison officer survives alleged attack by inmate transferred from L.A. County

Published

9 months ago

March 18, 2025

Press Room

Prison officer survives alleged attack by inmate transferred from L.A. County

An alleged attack on a state prison officer by a 43-year-old inmate transferred from Los Angeles County is being investigated as attempted homicide, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials announced Tuesday.

The March 18 incident at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad reportedly unfolded just before 9 a.m. on what authorities describe as a “dayroom floor.”

The inmate, Anthony G. Ramirez, is believed to have pulled an improvised weapon from his waistband before attempting to attack custody staff member, according to a CDCR news release.

“Staff immediately responded, disarming Ramirez and placing him in handcuffs without incident,” the release detailed.

Anthony G. Ramiez, 43, seen in this undated mug shot. (CDCR)

The 43-year-old, who was transferred to SVSP in 2008 after being sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder, with enhancements for the use of a firearm and causing great bodily injury or death, was placed in restrictive housing pending the investigation and possible felony prosecution by the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.

Both Ramirez and the custody staff member were examined by medical personnel who noted no serious injuries.

Officials said that the California Correctional Peace Officers Association was notified of the incident and prison staff were offered peer support services and employee assistance programs.

Salinas Valley State Prison, opened in 1996, houses more than 2,400 minimum, medium, maximum and high-security inmates. The facility also offers vocational programs and academic classes and employs some 1,800 people.

Los Angeles, Ca

Algal bloom sickening marine mammals off Southern California 'will only get worse'

Published

9 months ago

March 18, 2025

Press Room

Algal bloom sickening marine mammals off Southern California 'will only get worse'

A toxic algal bloom leaving an increasing number of marine mammals stranded along Southern California beaches shows no signs of subsiding and “will only get worse,” officials said Monday.

“This week, we saw more stranded dolphins (both alive and deceased) than we saw during the major domoic acid (DA) bloom in 2023,” Marine Mammal Care Center (MMCC) Los Angeles posted on Facebook.

Recent tests showed DA-producing algae levels have increased, and officials believe that trend will continue in the coming weeks. “We anticipate that it will only get worse,” the post read.

MMCC asked the public not to approach sick dolphins or sea lions on the beach because they can become aggressive upon awakening from a seizure.

A dolphin stranded at Dockweiler North is seen in an image posted on March 13, 2025. (L.A. County Fire Department, Lifeguard Division)

“This is a safety issue for people and their pets as much as it is for the marine mammals,” officials said.

Beachgoers were also urged not to push stranded dolphins back into the water, saying it can reduce their chances of survival.

More information about domoic-acid poisoning can be found at https://marinemammalcare.org/domoic-acid/.

The volume of sick marine mammals has also had a financial impact on the MMCC.

“Our team is working heroically to respond to every call and to rescue every animal they can. Please share this post and give now at marinemammalcare.org/donate to give these marine mammals a second chance at life!” the MMCC stated.

Anyone who encounters a sick or stranded marine mammal can alert the nearest lifeguard and call 1-800-39-WHALE to make a report.