By Sondra Murphy
High rates, poor service, deferred maintenance, perpetually failing pipes and brown water. These were the issues that Golden State Water Company customers brought to Thursday’s California Public Utilities Commission public participation hearing. The hearing was part of the long process surrounding GSWC’s rate increase application No. 07-01-013 in which the water company requests a nearly 44 percent rate hike in 2008.
About 100 people attended the hearing, with a quarter of those opting to comment, often to audience applause. CPUC inspector Victor Ryerson led the hearing, filling in for Administrative Law Judge Regina De Angeles, who is presiding over the process in northern California but was unable to attend.
“This hearing is providing a direct pipeline between Ojai and the CPUC,” Ryerson said. A transcript was taken for distribution to the departments of the commission that would be determining the outcome of the application.
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2 comments:
Ojai sure has a bounty of articulate, well informed citizens, fighting for what is right. Exposing all the weaknesses of GSWC's argument for the increase, all the while showing the inequities to continue business with them.
This is not an honest group asking for what is due them, they are simply exploiting the strengths of their legal arrangement with the people of Ojai. Thanks to F.L.O.W., we have a chance to change this only one side benefits arrangement, to one that the people of Ojai, can dictate what is the priority for our Water Quality and Distribution needs.
The founders of F.L.O.W. say it could take along time to accomplish this. Imagine, the money you pay, whether it gets more expensive or not, that money goes into the system that supplies your water, not to another share holder who could really give a damn about your water concerns. In time, water quality improves as I believe our collective health may as well.
Had we taken control of Ojai's water works when the opportunity came up, about '98', we wouldn't be having all the problems we have now, and have had, for several decades. As one alluded to, this is one issue that Ojai is one about.
I have watched two men and a backhoe (not starring Tom Selleck,just Phillips and Davis) repeatly (15+ times in its 16 year existance) repair a gushing new hook up ,over and over .Why?
Poor water quality,fluctuating water pressures,Contractors cleaning truck tanks (asphalt) right into our drinking water.
Unplanned utility placement in easements...Kind of helter skelter management and will only cost more in the future to create profit for shareholders.
Good Service, NOT.
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