Press Release: Ojai F.L.O.W. & Kathy Couturie
Outraged customers of the Golden State Water Co. (GSWC), in Ojai, CA have announced the formation of “OJAI F.L.O.W.” (Friends of Locally Owned Water) a grass roots alliance that has organized in order to more effectively battle a proposed 43.95% water rate increase in 2008. GSWC applied for the rate increase with the CA Public Utilities Commission on January 5, 2007.
On Thursday, May 3, 2007 Ojai F.L.O.W. has arranged for Adam Scow, a representative from Food and Water Watch.org to speak to Ojai community members. Food and Water Watch provides support for residents, elected officials, water utility staff and community leaders who are fighting to reclaim their water rights from corporate control.
The meeting will be held at 7:00PM at Chaparral Auditorium, 414 E. Ojai Ave. in Ojai. Following the presentation by Mr. Scow, there will be a screening of the groundbreaking documentary film, “Thirst.”
At a recent meeting, Barbara Buchanan of Ojai F.L.O.W. said, “It’s important for citizens of Ojai to understand that these rate increases are not going to stop until we control our own water rights. Golden State Water is owned by a parent company whose priority appears to be shareholder’s profits – not our water quality.”
BACKGROUND:
Six weeks after GSWC filed for their outrageous rate increase with the California Public Utilities Commission, Ojai customers received a mailing alerting them to the proposed increase. In a “community meeting” attended by over 100 customers, and representatives of GSWC on Monday, March 19, GSWC’s customers learned:
-GSWC had little or no concern for Ojai Customers’ financial concerns
-Ojai customers have, for decades, complained of water quality problems to no avail
-Ojai customers have numerous complaints regarding ineffective past service, broken mains, pipes, water pressure, etc.
-Ojai customers have serious questions regarding faulty valves, broken lines, etc. which lead to the loss of a home to fire in January due to two of GSWC’s hydrants not functioning.
At the March 19 meeting, Patrick Scanlan, V.P. of So Cal Operations for GSWC, said:
“Every customer pays the same (water use) rates in Ojai” (Ojai F.L.O.W. has copies of water bills that directly dispute this)
“I admit that maintenance has not been performed that should have been...”
“Our valve maintenance program is not what it should be – I accept full responsibility for that.”
Phil Simon, an Ojai resident that lives next to the house that burned in January, asked Scanlan how many hydrants were non-functional? Scanlan’s response: “The time it took had no impact on the fire result. Our gate valve program has not been conducted as it should have been, but extreme demand just wasn’t there.” (See more on useless hydrants in Ojai Valley News “Golden State set to face public” March 16, 2007)
Scanlan claimed GSWC’s rates are higher than other companies because they are privately owned, and don’t receive public funding. Several Ojai customers stated that the amount of public funds other local companies receive are minimal in proportion to their overall annual budgets. Scanlan’s response: “We will be happy to conduct a thorough study on why other districts charge so much less, but you will end up paying for our study.”
An enraged community is now actively working to rid themselves of GSWC. The Ojai Valley News reported on Feb. 16 that the City of Ojai has an indeterminate term franchise agreement with the company that has no expiration date. Ojai Flow has obtained a copy of this franchise agreement from the City of Ojai, and has requested a hearing with the Ojai City Council to further explore how 2,850 customers can help convince the City to condemn this agreement. The City of Ojai pays approximately $53,000. annually to GSWC. If the rate increase is approved, the city will see an annual increase of over $23,000. (Source: Ojai Valley News, March 16, 2007)
In 1998 GSWC, then called Southern California Water Co., proposed a 28% rate increase that was negotiated down to a 16.9% increase. That hike came after a series of increases since 1991 that totaled 53.3%. That means the newly proposed 43.95% increase would bring the total rate increases since 1991 to 113.25% - more than doubling Ojai customer’s rates within 16 years. (Source: Ojai Valley News, Feb. 16, 2007)
Golden State Water is the second largest investor-owned water company in California. It is owned by American States Water Company, which also owns Chaparral City Water Co. in Arizona and American State Utility Services, which provides water to U.S. Army forts and Air Force bases in Virginia, Texas and Maryland. The company provides water to 254,000 customers in 10 counties and 75 cities in California. (Source: Ojai Valley News, Feb. 16).
Many of GSWC’s Ojai customers are retired individuals who have absolutely zero means to pay for the outrageous increase that GSWC has applied for. GSWC has not provided for senior discounts, or families living on fixed incomes.
Ojai F.L.O.W. is circulating a protest petition to be submitted to the California PUC at a public meeting scheduled for May 10th at 7:00PM at Chaparral Auditorium in Ojai. Petitions are at the Ojai Chamber of Commerce, Treasure Beach and Café, and Ojai House in downtown Ojai. The petition is also posted at Save Ojai .
Golden State Water hosted a second community meeting in Ojai on Wednesday, April 25 at Chaparral Auditorium.
For more information please contact:
Kathy Couturie
Ojai F.L.O.W.
email: kcouturie@pobox.com
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Comments (2)
I was walking on Shell Road today. Someone (teenage males I think) littered the road with plastic water bottles. One was down a steep embankment. The kids didn't bother me as much as the plastic. Imagine. Bottled water costs more than gasoline. Why do we have to have bottled water anyway? Greedy water bottlers and greedy water companies. We need another biblical flood to wash Corporate Capitalism down the drain. The greedy stockholder class, and that includes a lot of us, drive this insane money system. Water and oil don't mix, and neither does sanity and plastic water bottles.
Comment #1 Posted by: Dennis Leary | April 28, 2007 06:09 PM
When reading the account of the last meeting with GSWC on OVN's blog, my feeling was that it was simply a bunch of double speak all to familiar to us by such examples as Cheney and Delay.
The OVN could have served their readers better with interviews of those opposed with GSWC, with their point of views given more indepth coveraged. Then let the GSWC counter the argument for Ojai to take proper control and distribution of it's own water supply.
In that account of the last meeting, GSWC claims to have invested large sums in the their water works. I've seen allot of that investment myself over the last several years. In the form of hop scotching the entire valley fixing one leak after another. I think if we were to dig in their files, we would find that constituted a supper majority of their investment dollars.
They claimed to have met the minimum standards set by the state and federal mandates. How about the local mandates set by their customer base. To say that the magnesium and iron in the water are not quality issues is to say we, the customers are too stupid to know what is best for ourselves. How many of them were drinking bottled water during all these meetings.
Ojai's water is the worst water I've ever tasted in all of California, bar none. We can do better for ourselves, our children. We know GSWC is only out for a profit. Their is no profit in them fixing up the old water works, for if it were so, we wouldn't be having this conversation now.
Their is so much more to say about this most important issue, but, forgive me for saying so, but many find the text of this issue quite dry. It doesn't compel but a few shrewed one's to take up the banner for the rest of us for which I'm grateful.
Comment #2 Posted by: Dana and Alyeska-kg6amv@yahoo.com | April 29, 2007 10:42 AM