The purpose of this statement is to define the City of Los Angeles' Department of Water and Power's (LADWP) policy with regards to the collection and use of personally identifiable information (PII - any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual who is the subject of the information).

Information Collected

LADWP collects two kinds of user information:

Anonymous Information

Information that does not identify specific individuals and is automatically transmitted by your browser. This information can consist of:

  • The URL (Uniform Resource Locator or address) of the web page you previously visited.
  • The domain names and/or IP addresses which are numbers that are automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are connected to the Internet or World Wide Web.
  • The browser version you are using to access the site.

This information is used to help improve our website. None of the information can be linked to any individual.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Information that could include:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Credit/Debit card information
  • Social Security number (SSN)
  • Usernames

LADWP will make every reasonable effort to protect your privacy. It restricts access to your personal identifiable information to those employees that will respond to your request. LADWP does not intentionally disclose any personal information about our users to any third parties inside or outside the LADWP except as required by law.

LADWP only collects personally identifiable information that is required to provide service. You can decline to provide us with any personal information on any site on the Internet at any time. However, if you should choose to withhold requested information, we may not be able to provide you with the online services dependent upon the collection of that information.

Access to Personally Identifiable Information

Access to personally identifiable information in public records at state and local levels of government in Los Angeles is controlled primarily by the California Public Records Act (Government Code Section 6250, et seq.). Information that is generally available under the Public Records Act may be posted for electronic access through the LADWP web site. While the Public Records Act sets the general policies for access to LADWP records, other sections of California code as well as federal laws also deal with confidentiality issues.

Email Addresses

Email addresses obtained through the website will not be sold or given to other private companies for marketing purposes. The information collected is subject to the access and confidentiality provisions of the Public Records Act, other applicable sections of the California code as well as federal laws. Email or other information requests sent to the LADWP website may be maintained in order to respond to the request, forward that request to the appropriate agency within the LADWP, communicate updates to the LADWP page that may be of interest to citizens, or to provide the LADWP web designer with valuable customer feedback to assist in improving the site. Individuals can cancel any communications regarding new service updates at any time.

Cookies

Some LADWP applications use "cookies." A cookie is a small data file that certain websites write to your hard drive when you visit them. A cookie file can contain information such as a user id that the site uses to track the pages you have visited. But the only personal information a cookie can contain is information you supply yourself. A cookie is only a text file and cannot read data off your hard disk or read cookie files created by other sites. Cookies can track user traffic patterns, recognize your computer's browser when you return, and could provide personalized content without requiring sign-in.

You can refuse cookies by turning them off in your browser. However, they may be required to use some of the web applications on the LADWP website.

Minor's Privacy Policy

Any information collected by any LADWP site from children under 13 are subject to the same guidelines as the general LADWP privacy policy. In addition, the following guidelines will be followed for any information collected by or for any child under 13:

  • Information that could be collected from or for a minor includes but might not be limited to name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, school, and hobbies.
  • Parental (including legal guardian) Consent
    • Parental consent will be obtained before collecting, using or disclosing personal information about a child.
  • If any information practices change in a "material" way, new consent will be obtained from the parents. This includes changes in the kinds of material being collected, a change in how that information is being used, or if there is a change in the third parties that have access to that information.
  • Parents will be able to review the personal information collected from their children which includes verification of the identity of the requesting parent. See individual requests for information for specifics.
  • Parents will be allowed to revoke their consent and delete information collected from or for their children on request. When consent is revoked, the website will stop collecting, using or disclosing information from or for that child. Revocation may end a child's participation in an activity if the information collected was necessary for participation on the website.
  • Additional information can be obtained at the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection website (http://business.ftc.gov/privacy-and-security).

Security

LADWP is committed to data security and the data quality of personally identifiable information that is either available from or collected by our website and has taken reasonable precautions to protect such information from loss, misuse, or alteration.

LADWP operates "secure data networks" protected by industry standard firewalls and password protection systems.

When an LADWP application accepts credit cards or any other particularly sensitive information for any of its services, it encrypts all ordering information, such as your name and credit card number, in order to protect its confidentiality.

LADWP may monitor their network and gathered information may be disclosed to the U.S. Government to protect LADWP networks from unauthorized usage or penetration.

Access to Your Information

Unless otherwise prohibited by state or federal law, rule, or regulation you will be granted the ability to access and correct any personally identifiable information. We will take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access to review or make corrections to your information. Each LADWP service that collects personally identifiable information will allow for review and update of that information. See individual requests for information for specifics.

Social Media Community Standards

Notice: Users and visitors to any of LADWP’s official social media sites shall be notified that the intended purpose of the site is to serve as a mechanism for communication between LADWP and members of the public. LADWP social media site articles and comments containing any of the following forms of content shall not be allowed and will be hidden or removed:

1. Comments not topically related to the particular social medium article being commented upon;

2. Comments in support of or opposition to political campaigns or ballot measures;

3. Profane language or content;

4. Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation;

5. Sexual content or links to sexual content;

6. Solicitations of commerce;

7. Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;

8. Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems; or

9. Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party.
 

Non-LADWP Web Sites

Non-LADWP websites may be linked through the LADWP website. Many non-LADWP sites may or may not be subject to the Public Records Act and may or may not be subject to other sections of California Code or federal law. Visitors to such sites are advised to check the privacy statements of such sites and to be cautious about providing personally identifiable information without a clear understanding of how the information will be used. 

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy policy, please send us an email at [email protected].

Terms & Conditions

The City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is neither responsible nor liable for any viruses or other contamination of your system nor for any delays, inaccuracies, errors, or omissions arising out of your use of the website or with respect to the material contained on the website, including without limitation, any material posted on the website. This website and all materials contained on it are distributed and transmitted "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including without limitation, warranties of title, or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. LADWP is not responsible for any special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages that may arise from the use of, or the inability to use, the site and/or the materials contained on the site whether the materials contained on the site are provided by the LADWP, or a third party.

Date last modified: April 3, 2024