‘Illegal’ takeover

“‘Illegal’ takeover,” Carmel Pine Cone – ‘April 14, 2023

It is troubling to see the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District make an illegal offer to acquire Cal Am just because that is the goal of the Public Water Now political action committee. By law, districts such as the MPWMD are required to obtain LAFCO’s approval prior to extending services outside of their boundaries or to provide new or different services. But the MPWMD is suing LAFCO because of that agency’s sound decision to reject their request to buy Cal Am and take over a service area it cherry-picked to manage.

LAFCO’s mission is to promote orderly growth and development for the 440,000 people in the 12 incorporated cities, 25 small unincorporated communities, and 90 special districts in Monterey County. Their review found that the MPWMD probably could not manage the company or the service district. They also found that doing so would cost many other small communities a great deal of money.

But Public Water Now, which has taken over the water district board, would like the 23,757 voters who approved Measure J to override the other 416,243 people represented by LAFCO. And they are willing to throw the rest of the residents of Monterey County under the bus to do so.

Rudy Fischer, Scottsdale, Ariz