PR Flap Showers Criticism on the DWP

Re “PR Firm Routinely Overbilled DWP, Former Employees Say,” July 15: Voters may soon be asked to approve an increase in the sales tax to provide more police to fight crime, but some misdeeds can be uncovered only through research.

Thank you to The Times, City Controller Laura Chick and those people who spoke up about the questionable billing practices of Fleishman-Hillard Inc. as the public relations firm for the Department of Water and Power.

Folks sitting in high-rise offices wearing designer clothes seem to be stealing more from the public than guys on the streets with guns.

If politicians with oversight responsibilities will sharpen their pencils and raise their standards, perhaps the public can be spared this additional tax.

Karen Mason

Los Angeles

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The big question in the alleged overbilling of DWP by Fleishman-Hillard is this: Why would DWP, with a public relations staff totaling 23, have any need to hire an outside PR firm?

The city of Los Angeles needs to hire an independent source to conduct a PR audit that will determine what work was done by whom and why Fleishman-Hillard was needed at all. A $3-million-a-year contract is a hefty piece of business in anyone’s language.

This independent source would have to have no ties whatsoever with the city, DWP or Fleishman-Hillard in order to analyze, evaluate and give recommendations so that this problem does not recur.

Joan Kerr

Torrance

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After reading the story about alleged rampant billing fraud by the DWP’s PR firm, I couldn’t quite decide whose behavior was more reprehensible -- Fleishman-Hillard’s for supposedly fleecing a public agency or DWP’s for being such a poor steward of the public’s money and trust.

The $25 million that Fleishman carted off could have been spent on improving DWP’s water and power systems so our service was better, or it could have been used to lower our rates or postpone the latest rate increase. I think Fleishman owes us a big refund. I just hope DWP doesn’t blow it on something else as ridiculous as PR.

Anthony Donato

Studio City

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Re “L.A. Plans to Sue PR Firm Over DWP Bills,” July 16: When our new City Charter was adopted, it was supposed to make department managers more responsive to elected leaders.

The mayor wants “to get to the bottom of this,” so he is evidently clueless as to what is going on at DWP. So much for DWP managers being more responsive to elected leaders.

Our elected leaders need to address the issue of how our new charter contributed to this mess and what charter changes are needed to prevent such occurrences.

Contracting out work at City Hall has been popular but, if it cannot be done honestly, maybe this work should be done by DWP workers themselves.

Larry Burks

San Pedro