Speaker to Contest Ventura Water Commission Actions at Jan 26 Meeting

By Joseph Richardson

Water Commission Regular Meeting Tues. Jan 26 2021 …. Item 4 speaking against

Joseph Richardson, 8778 Tacoma St. Ventura 93004, Past production supervisor of the City of Ventura Water Dept. Retired Professional Water Treatment and Water Distribution Grade 4 licensee, 21 year professor of Water Science at Ventura College

What is or makes up an “Abuse of Power”

Improper use of authority by someone who has that authority because he or she holds a public office.

This commission is empowered to investigate, plan, and provide input to the City Council on matters relating to the domestic water/wastewater operations of the city.

It is guided by City staff, outside consultants, and its own members with professional qualifications to investigate and evaluate ‘facts’ related to those operational plans.

This commission is and has been in receipt of ‘factual’ evidence that the city staff and their chosen consultants are providing data that is NOT TRUE and yet appears to be willing to base decisions on the false data provided, despite knowing or being informed about the TRUE facts.

The actions and directives of the city staff, consultants, and this commission relying on the expected lack of a majority of the city water system consumers to object (as allowed by law) to the “ILLEGAL” taking of fees from the consumers based on ‘FALSE’ data. Such reliance, on this matter, of public perceptions and willingness to not challenge the city due to accepting that the chosen experts would do the right thing:

CONSTITUTES AN ABUSE OF POWER … the illegal taking of fees based on false data in this case

Prop 218 clearly states, and ALL PREVIOUS challenges and lawsuits have taken the position, that fees for service must be based on “COST OF SERVICE TO THE PARCEL”

That is clearly NOT the basis for the current or future water rates which clearly are based on quantity used and NOT the cost to the parcel, ignoring the fact that consumers in the lower elevations are paying excess fees related to electrical costs currently included in rates equally for all, when in fact the highest electrical costs are for those users at the highest elevations. Further that ALL water consumed at each elevation has a FIXED cost of electricity based on THAT elevation and quantity used has no bearing on that cost.

The full engineering and hydraulic data related to this discussion have been provided to the commission in numerous fashions and clearly understood by some members as factual.

And yet, the commission allows the legal opinions from city staff to guide them to ignore these FACTS as it is assumed the 218 challenge by consumers will not occur.

SO, maybe the thought of being charged with an “Abuse of Power” might make some impact, and slow down this rush to approve a rate structure that is clearly ILLEGAL.