By Sondra MurphyGolden State Water Company spokeman Keith Switzer faced more than 100 hostile customers and a barrage of questions Monday evening at the Chaparral School Auditorium.
The purpose of the meeting was to give the community a chance to discuss Golden State’s most recent Public Utilities Commission application for rate increases. If approved by the PUC, rates will go up in 2008 by about 44 percent, a raise that is expected to yield GSWC a revenue increase of $1,432,900 in 2008.
GSWC claims rate increases are needed due to rising operating costs for the purchase of wholesale water, increased federal and state regulation, increases in the cost of labor and taxes and for continued investment in water system infrastructure improvements in Ojai.
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3 comments:
Didn't GSWC representative say something about shareholders recouping their investment.
He couldn't be talking about their new equipment, new pipes and their top of the line water filtration system.
When do Ojai residence get their return on investment.For years they have paid unreasonable rates. Only to have to go to the nearest hardware store to buy all the water gadgets imaginable to make swallowing this water, coming out of our pipes, palatable.
It's time for Ojai to have it's own Water Municipality. This is an issue that the Ojai City Council could show Leadership in and task themselves immediately. The Council would gain great support in this endeavor.
If they don't, it will probably be taking on by the citizens of Ojai. Citizen's shouldn't have to carry on the business of a sitting council.
Imagine, having a flow of water, that is actually clear, that taste good if not great, that doesn't poison the plants in your yard, that doesn't clog your water heater prematurely, that is not contaminating you and children.
Some in Ojai have never experienced this, why? Because they never lived out of Ojai.
It's time folks for the Ojai Municipal Water Plan
Gratifying to see so many active citizens in the know about corporate
structured Golden State. From the turnout from this first meeting, it
looked like a blueprint on how not to get good PR. Ojai is ready to
assume their own water duties, with
truth and fairness being operative
terms. The 2nd meeting in
May will be with public utilities board. PL
I came across something I didnt understand very well in American States Water Company's 10k. It says that on February 15, 2007, the CPUC issued a subpoena to GSWC to investigate work orders and charges paid to a specific contractor used by GSWC for a whole lot of construction projects. It says the CPUC is investigating if these charges were approved in customer rates and whether they were just and reasonable. So according to their own 10k the public utilities commission has begun and investigation of Golden State Water Company some type of unauthorized costs in its rates. Someone needs to find out what this is and see if Ojai was affected. It's time we were told the truth!
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