They're calling it bottled Watergate...
Why does government sometimes have to confirm every single stereotype about itself?
My colleague Garrett Therolf's story today is about a college student who earns $9.92 an hour working for Los Angeles County on duties that extend to peeling the labels off bottles of water, printing out computerized labels bearing the county seal, and slapping them on the water bottles.
The county supervisors do not want anyone to think that they are endorsing any particular brand of bottled water, not the members of the public there in the room with them, nor that audience out there watching in TV-land. No product placement here -- no, sirree.
So let me get there before Jay Leno does. One, although their ethical scruples are admirable, the five supervisors are by no stretch of the imagination tastemakers and trendsetters. The public does not rush to copy their hair, imitate their clothes, buy the pens they use. I am not even altogether sure that the maker of this water -- rumored to be Arrowhead -- would hurry to mount an ad campaign showing the sipping supes and promoting "'the water drunk by the leaders of the most populous county in the United States."
Two, what is with going to the trouble of peeling off the original label? Why bother? Just slap the new label over it.
Three, why are these people drinking bottled water at all? It's expensive, the plastic is horrible for the environment, and even worse if it isn't recycled. City and county governments are casting about desperately to cut costs anywhere. A doctor at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center told The Times today that all bottled water, for staff and patients, has been yanked in order to save money.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that voters may not be able to comprehend the magnitude of multi-billion-dollar budgets. But paying someone on a government payroll $9.92 an hour to peel the labels off bottled water? That, they understand.
So, supervisors, take your coffee cup -- the one that says "World's Best Dad," or in the case of Supervisor Gloria Molina, "World's Best Mom" -- and fill it from your own personal bottled water stash in your office, the one you paid for yourself. Or fill it at the drinking fountain before the meeting. And how's this for a perk? You get to cut in line at the fountain.
I work at Harbor-UCLA. I'm appalled, yet not surprised at all, that the County Supervisors were still sipping on (single-serve!) bottled water while us "small folk" are being asked to drink tap water. Yes, a recent statement claims that they are now drinking "iced tap water", but it would be no surprise if a test thereof revealed that it is still the good old bottled water just in a different "outfit".
The only water in our building is the bathroom's tap water; which at Harbor-UCLA, with 60-something year old buildings and probably equally old water lines is so "clean" that one can see white speckles floating in it with their bare eyes, let alone all the rust and other contaminants it must have. An attempt to pay for continued bottled water delivery out of our own pockets was smashed down stating that no contractors are allowed to deliver water on campus unless approved and paid for by County or the research institute's funds.
Posted by: Christiane RS | April 09, 2009 at 11:25 AM
As a graphic designer, I am donating my services: I designed two new labels for the county supervisors. If they choose to continue using single-serve plastic water bottles they can use the first: it features a skull and crossbones over the earth to show how these bottles poison the earth. If they switch to re-usable containers they can use the second: it features a happy face on the earth. Download them for free for personal use at creativezazz.com
Posted by: Kim Peasley | April 02, 2009 at 02:13 PM
Wait... Is this an April's Fool post?
Posted by: B4 | April 01, 2009 at 03:10 PM
As a Los Angeles County employee, I'm sitting here in my department where all our vacant positions have been pulled. These positions are desperately needed if we're to continue to effectively manage the most critical IT systems in the County such as the LA County financials system, property tax billing system, election systems and the County Jail booking system.
In the meantime, our supervisors are paying someone to change the labels on their bottled water. Now there's responsible leadership for you. Their view apparently runs along the lines of "Never mind keeping the County running smoothly, just make sure we don't get thirsty".
Posted by: John G | April 01, 2009 at 09:22 AM
Why are the Supervisors endorsing the message that DWP tap water is not fit to drink? Bottled water is a massive over-charge for "convenience", but it is rarely higher quality, in spite of what status conscious fad addicts might believe. At a Supervisors meeting there is no "convenience" to bottled water, especially custom relabeled water. Pitchers of ice water would send a more defensible message, and if the supervisors know something they don't want the public to know, the pitchers can be filled from bottled water they buy, without relabeling.
Posted by: Richard Williams | March 31, 2009 at 08:26 PM