So the good people of Los Angeles want to take the profit motive out of its water and electricity utilities to keep rates down. And so they created the city-run Department of Water and Power.

Then they granted it semi-autonomy to keep the politics out of it.

What they wound up with is a monstrous bureaucratic nightmare with 8,600 employees and a $5.7 billion budget that seems to be able to raise rates at will and is answerable to no one.

No one.

Recession?

Bwahahaha.

There never is a recession at the Department of Water and Power.

Raises for everyone.