Worked outside a bit – then inside to play around with the “almost music stuff”. What can I say? It’s fun! Anyway, just playing around and then thought…..why not a last 2018 “almost music” thing? So, here it is, just sliding under the wire of 2019….”We’re not going to make midnight” – although it actually looks like we will…maybe. But maybe not?……it is 2343hrs right now. 2347hrs……processing almost done……OK READY TO POST (fastest one ever I think!) 2351hrs bye!
LAFCOs – Local Agency Formation Commissions, ie, state agencies operating at the county level so that THE POWER OF THE STATE IS ACTUALLY EXERCISED BY AND FOR LOCAL COUNTY INTERESTS under the concept local authorities would know best how to develop and manage local resources and appropriate development.
~
This post/video simply examines some of the 2016 statements made by LAKE DON PEDRO COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT (LDPCSD) General Manager/Treasurer, Pete Kampa, and his supporting Board of Directors in light of the historical facts contained in the September 28, 2017 State Water Board Notice of Violation. That NOV reaffirmed exactly how this nightmare of SPECIAL BENEFIT WATER SERVICE outside the legal subdivision started and continues today.
Fake Maps, paper, Mylar, digital, whatever! All the same. FAKE/FALSE INFORMATION.
The Lake Don Pedro residential subdivision (as a CID,POA & CC&R governed entity under the California Civil Code) has been severely injured by other organizations, both public and private, that were intended to assist in protecting its integrity but instead, exploited a subdivision water resource for outside subdivision development and profit.
The “disinformation” intentionally spread within this area for decades has been outrageous – but especially damaging since return of Peter Kampa in October 2014 to complete the LAFCO ANNEXATIONS for outside subdivision development he started over twenty years ago when beginning his infamous water career in California between the years 1994-1997. Pete Kampa’s twenty year affiliation with the CSDA (CALIFORNIA SPECIAL DISTRICTS ASSOCIATION) [aka a major not for profit state lobbyist organization] has in no small part assisted KAMPA with the corruption and abuse within the LDPCSD. Seems every turn in the road has involved some facet of CSDA, the political special district updates from Sacramento; opinions regarding our POST RETIREMENT MEDICAL BENEFITS which were abandoned years ago until KAMPA & KOMPANY decided to reinstate them at great cost to our district; discounts for CSDA members and affiliates for such things as our LDPCSD WEBSITE, (which is still quite unresponsive to public requests and continues to display incorrect information to the public); how about THE FINAL ANSWER TO THE WL11395 POU QUESTION FOR LDPCSD WATER SERVICE TO LAFCO ANNEXATIONS? Just another one of the many FAKE KAMPA POU MAP PRODUCTIONS courtesy of a CSDA discounted provider (don’t forget the $35,000 budget the Board approved for this digital FAKE MAP!,and so it goes, on and on and on…..) Kampa is not just a “REMOTE GM/TREASURER – BUT A CSDA LOBBYIST AND SHOULD BE REGISTERED AS ONE! lol
Yeah, yeah, yeah….OK…..prepare yourself for another repeat and resulting yawning exercise – lol
Kampa was returned to the LDPCSD through a highly unethical “CLOSED RECRUITMENT SELECTION PROCESS” specifically designed to guarantee ONLY PETE KAMPA could be appointed as the new GM/Treasurer and provided access to over ONE MILLION DOLLARS IN LDPCSD CASH that was saved as a result of a successful PROPOSITION 218 to raise rates and fees almost ten years ago to avoid LDPCSD bankruptcy. (Those funds were later used by Kampa to leverage state and federal grant money to develop the ground water production for an “ALTERNATE SOURCE WATER” which Kampa used to circumvent Merced River water restrictions contained in WL11395 which prohibit river water service outside the authorized Place of Use subdivision. By “blending” this groundwater with Merced River water, the final “blended product” is CLAIMED TO BE A LEGAL “FOR SALE PRODUCT” TO LAFCO PROPERTIES OUTSIDE THE PLACE OF USE BOUNDARY OF WATER LICENSE 11395!
[RECALL THE SO GOSIP (Same Old Group Of Special Interest People) talk of “finding someone” who was going to write grants for groundwater well development” (for LAFCO ANNEXATIONS outside the subdivision) before Kampa even submitted his blitzkrieg promoting management contract?]
Hindsight is always 20/20 yeah?
CONSIDER ALSO: Since the groundwater contains contaminants such as arsenic, that must be removed for human consumption which Merced River water does not possess, this SPECIAL BENEFIT BLENDING also forcesMR WECsto consume something less than thequality Merced River water that has been pumped from Lake McClure from the very start back in the late 1960’s when the SIERRA HIGHLANDS WATER COMPANY!)
ANYWAY, …..Thanks to confidential BOARD INFORMATION of a forthcoming GM opening (that was quickly relayed to PETE KAMPA by a sitting LDPCSD director/personal friend who worked with Kampa back in the mid 1990s) Kampa was able to quickly prepare and present a contract – ready for board approval – for his company, KAMPA COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS, or KAMPACS, to immediately assume REMOTEdistrict GM/Treasurer responsibilities. There was no public notice of the upcoming vacancy and prior plans for GM selection were immediately abandoned by members of the board. Kampa was then appointed without even a simple employment background check which would have revealed KAMPA was in actuality, a rogue former employee who was negotiating ANNEXATIONS INTO THE DISTRICT WITHOUT BOARD APPROVAL OR AUTHORIZATION, apparently one of the reasons prompting a quick resignation and departure to McCloud CSD where he also made quite a name for himself in exploiting the resources of that special district.
(Yes, the CSDA must be very proud. Read Governor Brown’s statement about that McCloud CSD contract negotiated by Kampa back then when Governor Brown was the State Attorney General!)
Pete Kampa was very much aware of the LDPCSD water license limitations in serving Merced River water and immediately started work on the plan to misrepresent the actual purpose of developing more groundwater wells (ostensibly for entitled subdivision customer use during state wide emergency drought)for the true misappropriated purpose of expanding SPECIAL BENEFIT GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTED SERVICE OUTSIDE THE WATER LICENSE DESIGNATED PLACE OF USE RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION!
Rather like the old traditional “bait and switch”, yeah? Advertise one thing but sell another?
State and federal officials were told groundwater production would be used for the drought threatened residential subdivision, when in actuality, the Ranchito Drive “remedy well” (which formerly produced enough groundwater to remedy the illegal service already recognized outside the subdivision) had already failed, or was in the process of failing, to produce the groundwater necessary for water license compliance purposes. This water license compliance reporting to MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICT (MID) [holder of water license 11395] started back in 2000 when MID stated NO MERCED RIVER WATER COULD BE SERVED OUTSIDE THE POU BOUNDARY OF THE WATER LICENSE AND ANY SUCH SERVICE WOULD HAVE TO COME FROM THE RANCHITO DRIVE WELL – the only ground well owned by the LDPCSD! (Kampa stopped these compliance reports and the water loss information previously furnished the public.)
Yup, not about the MR WECs of the subdivision at all, but rather, PETE KAMPA’s LAFCO ANNEXATIONS FROM 20 YEARS EARLIER LOSING THE ONLY ALTERNATE SOURCE WATER AVAILABLE TO PREVENT VIOLATION OF THE WATER LICENSE RESTRICTIONS. Do not forget Pete Kampa was likely also aware of the other properties receiving water for many years that were outside the POU of WL11395 but district billing was unaware yet he allowed such known unreported illegal service to continue.
In other words, KAMPA and his special interest board of DEFECTORS NEEDED GROUNDWATER AND FAST BEFORE THE NONCOMPLIANCE WITH WL11395 WAS PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE! And what better way to obtain it than telling “the community and world” they were DRILLING HOLES ALL OVER THE PLACE to prevent customers from losing water service as the lake went down due to drought*. (Original board that hired Kampa knew exactly what they were doing in violating clear restrictions in WL11395 and burdening MR WECs with the added financial costs of subsidized water for third party land developers to which our district had no legal duty or moral obligation to provide water. Period.)
* Another important issue. Decades of massive water loss (wink and nod thefts?) have continued unchecked yet the PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION DURING THAT STATE WIDE EMERGENCY DROUGHT (relaxed EPA/development, application/permitting, etc. and physically reaching equipment usually under water) to repair and replace failed equipment for our SURFACE WATER TREATMENT PLANTwas intentionally ignored in favor of groundwater wells desperately needed to maintain water license compliance reporting conditions that KAMPA HAD STOPPED (later said he was unaware of the reporting requirement) that the MONEY GRANTING AUTHORITIES WERE NOT EVEN AWARE!
The State of California and Federal Government thought they were approving grant money to save a community on the verge of losing their water supply as the McClure Lake level went down (this has happened a number of times in the past but not quite as severe) when in reality they were providing PUBLIC FINANCING FOR PRIVATE LAND DEVELOPER PROPOSED PROJECTS ON SUSPICIOUS LAFCO ANNEXED PROPERTIES!
REM: The PROPOSED 900 ACRE RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION across the road from the LDPCSD Administration Office (where the original office was destroyed by arson in February 2012 during an investigation of this outside POU water service issue) that MARIPOSA COUNTY LAFCO later said had been annexed in 1995 but kept a virtual secret from the public until only a few months before Kampa returned to the LDPCSD and a SEMI-PRIVATE LAFCO-LDPCSD meeting produced two new maps with different LDPCSD BOUNDARIES OF WATER SERVICE?
But I digress.
Thousands of property owners (past, present and future) of the Lake Don Pedro Owners Association (LDPOA) who were essentially forced into becoming mandatory customers of the LAFCO created Lake Don Pedro Community Services District (LDPCSD) (due to CC&Rs that ran with their POA governed property title) have all been harmed by this rigged groundwater substitution program subsidy for land developers outside the water entitled subdivision that is primarily paid for by subdivision LDPCSD customer owners! I call these victims: MR WECs (Merced River Water Entitled Customers – of the Lake Don Pedro subdivision).
WHAT ARE THE DESIGNED CHARACTERISTICS OF SPECIAL DISTRICTS LIKE THE LDPCSD?
1) limited service (Subdivision lot water service)
2) to a particular group of customers (Only LDP subdivision property owners- as indicated in LAFCO publications);
3) within a defined geographical area (an official water service area with boundaries aka, THE LDP SUBDIVISION as determined by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) January 1981 approval in the transfer of SIERRA HIGHLANDS facilities and assets to the newly LAFCO FORMED LDPCSD) [Spoiler Alert: Mariposa County LAFCO (in anticipation of the CPUC’s intention to limit the service area to only the subdivision and golf course) apparently quietly & secretly substantially enlarged the LDPCSD SERVICE AREA (ready for this?) immediately after the STATE OF CALIFORNIA DECLARED WATER LICENSE 11395 FULLY APPROPRIATED AND BEING PUT TO MAXIMUM BENEFICIAL USE AS REQUIRED BY OUR STATE CONSTITUTION!
State declaration of water license full appropriation: July 1980
LDPCSD formed by LAFCO: August 1980 (And that official service area map has been missing ever since!)
4) customers are charged only for those costs NECESSARY IN PROVIDING THAT SERVICE which is absolutely impossible when MR WECs has been subsidizing a groundwater substitution program for land developers OUTSIDE THE ENTITLED SUBDIVISION!
Sad to say but my conclusion is the LDPCSD has been an intentional fraud since its first day of operation.
Also, do not forget that it only took 88 votes to encumber thousands of LDP subdivision MR WEC owners with this hidden GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION PROGRAMfor perpetuity! AND THE GERRYMANDERING THAT PERMITS THIS TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE TO CONTINUE! NON STAKEHOLDERS WHO CAN VOTE AND DETERMINE DIRECTOR ELECTION OUTCOMES!
WHY DID LAFCOs CONTINUE ANNEXATIONS KNOWING THE LDPCSD COULD NOT SERVE THE WATER?
TO ASSIST IN THE GERRYMANDERING OF THE DISTRICT TO “LOCK IN” THE FRAUD AGAINST MR WECs?
WHY FORCE MR WECs INTO TREMENDOUSLY EXPENSIVE GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION FOR LAFCO “LATE ON THE SCENE” PROPERTY ANNEXATIONS INTO THE LDPCSD?
TAXABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE DROUGHT PRONE FOOTHILL AREAS OF TWO COUNTIES WHERE THE RESPECTIVE COUNTY WOULD NOT HAVE TO FURNISH AN EXPENSIVE WATER SUPPLY?
WHO WERE THE TRUE BENEFICIARIES OF THIS UNETHICAL FINANCIAL SCHEME?
Sorry, this post is kind of all over the place – think I would learn not to just blah, blah, blah…without a bit more planning ahead— ahhh, what the heck! Woke again this morning thinking about it anyway….might as well blah, blah, blah…
Yes indeed, I do repeat myself – and will most likely continue to do so until this decades old criminal conspiracy is corrected because I believe heart and mind it is absolutely wrong to the innocent stakeholder property owners of this subdivision.
Anyway, I thought some of the statements made in 2016 take on more illuminating aspects especially when considered in light of the STATE NOV and the apparent June 2018 Kampa/SWRCB quick attempt to end that investigation. An investigation that started off quite professionally but was quickly shunted into the shadows of special interest protection and concealment from the public.
There is a gold mine in these past meeting recordings because the true motive for so many of these former statements and actions by KAMPA and HIS BOARD only become apparent when truth is allowed to flow like water from undocumented valves.
HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR – BUT PLEASE BE SAFE SO AS TO CONTINUE THE HAPPINESS ALL YEAR LONG!
When I listened to the December 17th, 2018 LDPCSD Meeting audio CD I was again struck by two reoccurring aspects of these meeting GM REPORTS –
1) SOBS, same old BULL $hi7, and
2) they are all dressed up in intricate KAMPA-GANDA labyrinths of words and speech all exquisitely designed to confuse and misrepresent facts in his continuing effort to conceal the unethical and continuing harm to this district, but more importantly, to the MR WECs of the subdivision forced to pay for such betrayal since 1980 formation by LAFCO.
So much of what GM/Treasurer Pete Kampa says just plain doesn’t sound right or pass the BS test if you will, for one reason or another. This all too common observation triggers my questioning of the matter resulting in time consuming research which confirms, or where really murky activity is present with little information, highly suggests, intentional deception and the concealment of important fact from the public.
I have always freely admitted to being very suspicious regarding activities of our “remote managing” LDPCSD GM/Treasurer Pete Kampa, and sadly, this post is just another example of why that is, at least for me personally. Seems Pete routinely furnishes examples of why confidence in the accuracy of the information he relays is a real gamble if you are interested in the truth. Whatever the story Pete may be spinning at the time you can bet there is always a KAMPA-GANDA portion lurking in the shadows far removed from what is generally accepted as ethical behavior by those in such important positions of public trust.
OK, I do not trust Pete Kampa or ANYTHING HE HAS DONE SINCE RETURNING TO THE LDPCSD where he started his infamous water career here in the United States over twenty years ago by personally setting up LAFCO ANNEXATIONS which is GROUND ZERO in this LDPCSD CORRUPTION–
in my semi hermit internet outspoken repetitive styled opinion – lol .
Of course four years service on the LDPCSD Board of Directors exposed me to an environment and much information the average MR WECs is only learning now. Yes this is an incredible amount of work (AGAIN- the district, especially in light of its NONTRANSPARENT HISTORY FOR DECADES should be required to post every single LDPCSD meeting audio on the ldpcsd website for public consumption (in addition to their forced consumption of a “blended outside POU sales water”) but it MUST BE DONE unless, such special interest corruption is to be made official LDPCSD policy. How can I enjoy why I purchased my Lake Don Pedro subdivision land if threatened by a carpet bagging “remote GM/Treasurer” who has quite clearly demonstrated his dedication to expanding costly special benefit water services on the financial backs of letitimate water customers of the subdivison in favor of his special interest 20 year old LAFCO ANNEXATIONS?
A vicious time consuming cycle because the Board of Directors have each, and as a whole, continued to relinquish their power and authority –
(to run this district ethically and legally to the service of the intended far majority of legal customers)
-to a man with decades of documented special interest for owners of LAFCO ANNEXED LAND with PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS that are stalled for lack of available water in this drought prone area. (Some projects even contrary to the interests of the ALREADY EXISTING AND APPROVED SUBDIVISION WHICH ALREADY HAS AN ADDED LAYER OF GOVERNMENT IN THE FORM OF A CID/POA/CC&R/Davis-Sterling Act governed subdivision.)
I wonder if you viewers can tell when I pick back up on a continuing long post with a different more positive attitude, say due to rest, or in the alternative, notice an angrier expression due to escalating frustration with the lack of, or glacial speed of, law enforcement regarding such local agency corruption?
?????????????
Perhaps another example of corruption and decay would be beneficial in recognizing what is at play with the LDPCSD and its NEGLIGENT PARENT LAFCOs?
(expanded this out a bit to clearly make the connection between the two different failures)
Would it be proper, logical, legal, moral, etc., to subject a child to further injurious punishment for having rotten teeth, poor skin, and being morbidly obese when the parents have routinely provided soda pop, candy and treats as incentives to encourage co-operation and accelerate training since birth – rather than proper nourishment and responsible guidance for normal growth?
BREAK IT DOWN…..
Would it be proper, logical, legal, moral, etc., to subject a child to further injurious punishment for having rotten teeth,
(LDPCSD annexations – permitting developments without adequate water service – LDPCSD conflicting unethical policies due to LAFCo’s special interest decisions catering to third party developers over the established interests of the LEGALMR WECsin the CID/POA & CC&R GOVERNED Lake Don Pedro subdivision),
poor skin
(LDPCSD public appearance and first impression reputation),
and being morbidly obese
(LDPCSD massive unsupported expansion of District Service Boundaries outside the legal Place of Use for WL11395 contrary to operative regulations and law)
when the parents have routinely provided soda pop, candy and treats
(LDPCSD annexations – permitting developments without adequate water service)
as incentives to encourage co-operation and accelerate training since birth –
(placate water demanding real estate/land developer interests with unsupported annexations to facilitate rural foothill growth counties wouldn’t have to finance)
rather than proper nourishment and responsible guidance for normal growth?
No doubt both the LDPCSD and the Lake Don Pedro residential subdivision have, and are, paying a horrible price for the intentional violation of state water regulations in an attempt to create a “foothill water empire” with that surreptitious “master plan” apparently orchestrated by those in control of the LAFCOs (Local Agency Formation Commissions) of Tuolumne and Mariposa which created the LDPCSD in 1980. (How else could the initial service area established by the CPUC in January 1981 have been changed and the initial LAFCO commissioned 1980 area service map be AWOL/MIA [absent without leave and missing in action] for forty (40) years?)
The local government betrayal of “tax paying mandatory property owner customers” of our preexisting CID/POA governed subdivision – along with the continued intentional exploitation of our most valuable resource in quality Merced River water from Lake McClure per Water License 11395 is simply reprehensible.
What a magnificent selling point for real estate sales within our subdivision which is now only half developed. How many more people could have been encouraged to purchase property here and make these beautiful foothills their final home? Our subdivision and every single property owner, whether resident or absentee, has been financially harmed by this continuing county betrayal which in reality likely assisted in our ultimate government designation as a DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITY!
The only disadvantage I see is a lack of honest responsible local government which only continues a conspiracy with rogue LDPCSD officials to continue the special benefit GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION PROGRAM for LAFCO ANNEXATIONS with all those substantial additional costs passed on to MR WECs as they have been since August 1980.
?????????????
That LAFCO PARENT CONCEPT kind of encouraged this “almost music” video presentation stuff. REM? A disguised Chipmunk type voice and off we go to spread the word of unethical financial liabilities being forced on the MR WECs of the Lake Don Pedro residential subdivision for perpetuity. Yep, diminishing this POA’s greatest selling point for encouraging more people to move up here to these beautiful Sierra Nevada western foothills and create a home. The words I would like to use to accurately describe these treacherous money worshiping traitors I will withhold for now.
(NOTE: as mentioned in the original postings at the time, Director Jim Sult (left middle- green shirt) was not one of the original designers – or apparent supporters – of this continuing water POU MAP SCAM. The community was indeed lucky to have Mr. Sult on the board although only for a relatively short period of time.)
???
Why are the MR WECs of the Lake Don Pedro subdivision further punished for LAFCO failures to properly discharge their duties in:
1) the actual formation of the LDPCSD and its water service boundaries according to the California Public Utilities Commission decision approving the transfer of Sierra Highland’s facilities and assets to the new LDPCSD, and
2) realistically researching annexation applications and their proposed developments outside the WL POU APPROVED SUBDIVISION (with special emphasis on compliance with their own operating 76-4 Resolution requiring an adequate services clause in the annexation application)
???
LAFCO ANNEXATION WATER has always been wrongfully subsidized by thousands of innocent victim MERCED RIVER WATER ENTITLED CUSTOMERS (MR WECs) of the Lake Don Pedro subdivision, which was formerly the SIERRA HIGHLANDS WATER COMPANY subdivision which is the PLACE OF USE for MERCED RIVER WATER per WATER LICENSE 11395 under which the LDPCSD has operated since formation by county LAFCOs of Tuolumne and Mariposa in 1980.
I DIGRESS….BACK TO THE 15 EMAILS KAMPA SENT TO DOLLAR GENERAL OFFICIALS
So viewers might easier appreciate what I’m clumsily attempting to explain here —(I’m tired, frustrated and in a bit of pain anyway due to that injury a few weeks ago – but getting better thanks) let us take a short trip back to the recent December 17th, 2018 LDPCSD Board Meeting where Director Russell Warren questioned GM Kampa about the newly opened Dollar General Store on HWY 132 and problems concerning that organization following the contract for water service Kampa negotiated. (Some of my video comments will become more understandable in later blah blah blah after the below video. You know, this is another good example of why Board Directors and public should be provided such information (as they were prior to KAMPACS MANAGEMENT) for their own reading in the agenda packet. I believe that was one of my first public comments when I returned to this LAKE DON PEDRO CSD NIGHTMARE after the passing of Tara my former GSD who had Degenerative Myelopathy (a slow paralyzing condition starting from tail and works its way to the brain stem, fortunately physically painless but …. – oh crap! Can’t even go there now…..!).
Anyway, when I first returned to meetings I saw the complete control by Kampa and the board oblivious as to rudimentary facts about the district and its operation who could only recite sentences and phrases like KAMPA-GANDIZED trained primates conditioned to reward. Simple, obvious, and legitimate questions posed to the board and GM had to be repeated ad nauseam just for acknowledgement but then never answered. Agenda item requests with pertinent subjects routinely rejected or indefinitely put on hold due to more serious matters never to be revisited.
“what I’m clumsily attempting to explain here” – for sure huh? here’s the video I did yesterday
Hello! Welcome back. How was your return trip from the video? I’ve got a mess here. Many of the files he sent will not print or copy correctly for some reason. Bare with me, if I have to I will re-type some of it for clarity.
Anyway, Kampa said he sent 15 emails to DG, right? Let’s start with my PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST (when I inserted the original request with numbering, the website editor went crazy and inserted other numbering/lettering stuff – so ignore that double number/letter crap. lol)
From: Lew Richardson Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2018 11:43 AM To: Syndie Marchesiello <syndie@ldpcsd.org> Subject: PUBLIC INFORMATION REQUEST
Hello Syndie,
Thanks for the meeting CDs but would appreciate copies of the below GM handouts for the Monday, December 17th, 2018 LDPCSD Board meeting that were not contained in the noticed agenda packets as the meeting discussion is hard to follow sometimes just listening to the audio without the document in hand for reference. Syndie, since you have been specifically trained in the Brown Act and in preparing public agency agendas and board packets, could you educated me as to why important information contained in the GM report (and other GM meeting handouts) is not included within the properly noticed agenda packet prepared in the LDPCSD office and distributed? (The GM made a point of saying his report would be sent to the office by email on December 14th – apparently suggesting with sufficient time for proper inclusion and notice – yet it was not in any of the distributed packets or available on the website. )
Apparently during the December 17th, 2018 LDPCSD Monthly Board Meeting there was a
a) GM Report handout
b) I believe there was also a water loss report, and,
c) some compliance monitoring information.
Also, there was discussion of the failure of the DOLLAR GENERAL to honor the LDPCSD contract by providing required documents GM Kampa had negotiated with them for development of the store. Kampa stated he had spoken with different DG representatives multiple times on the telephone and had sent 15 emails to them requesting the information. KAMPA said he is now charging his hours of work on this problem and needs to set a date to force the issue with Dollar General.
This is a public information request for those 15 emails sent to Dollar General officials by LDPCSD GM Kampa in an effort to have them honor the development contract by furnishing the requested information.
Thanks, curiously yours, Lew
&&&&&&&&&&
Lew,
Pursuant to your request for records of the above date, attached are all records responsive to your request. I have pasted your request below for reference:
In response to your item #1a, b and c, attached are two versions of the service line bid summary presented at the meeting. The summary was prepared on the morning of the 17th after bids were opened that morning at 9. The services contract associated with the contractor’s compliance and monitoring work scope was also handed out and made publicly available at the meeting, as was the month water audit report.
In response to your item #2, attached are all communications by email and letter to CD CG La Grange regarding the Dollar General issue. These documents comprise the record you request.
Sincerely,
Pete Kampa
~~~~~~~~~
The following 15 records were provided by Kampa (as the entire communication record for Dollar General as requested) with the first four files obviously unrelated to the alleged DOLLAR GENERAL refusal to furnish required information. These files addressed other LDPCSD issues as noted.
1 Bid Summary – Service Line Replacement.pdf [178.82 KB] December 17 2018 Meeting GM handout black and white graph
2 BidAnalysis.pdf [67.86 KB] December 17 2018 Meeting GM handout color graph
3 Contract for Services.pdf [118.42 KB] December 17 2018 GM Meeting handout regarding Contractor Compliance and Monitoring Inc
4 Monthly Audit Summary… [92.21 KB] LDPCSD Dec 17 2018 GM Meeting handout (treated water loss 22%)
Hang-on, let me try to arrange his files in chronological order……what a pain in the ASS! The redundant titles and inability to see the entire file name made distinguishing the files from one another very difficult and required retyping what could be observed in the file name with the size of the file also re-typed in order to identify which was which!!! OK, here are the other files in order of creation:
5 Letter to Accept Main… [86.32 KB] June 14, 2018 (no letterhead) Letter from Pete Kampa to CD DG LA GRANGE LLC
6 Dollar General.eml [20.07 KB] (email) September 6, 2018 17:20 pkampa@kampacs to David Gonzalves, Tuolumne CountyCc Syndie ldpcsd KAMPA EMAIL BUT TO TUOLUMNE COUNTY
7 Out of Office: Dollar General…[14.4 KB] (email)September 6, 2018 17:20 David Gonzalves, Tuolumne County TO: Peter Kampa
8 Re: Dollar General Store.eml [28.67 KB] (email)September 7, 2018 07:38 David Gonzalves Tuolumne County TO: Pete Kampa Cc: syndie@ldpcsd; Quincy Yaley
9 RE: Dollar General Store.eml [20.53 KB] (email)September 7, 2018 08:00 David Gonzalves, Tuolumne County CRA to Peter Kampa and Quincy Yaley
10 Letter to accept Main Line… [276.83] pdf September 11th 2018 LDPCSD Letterhead URGENT NOTICE from Pete Kampa to CD DG LA GRANGE LLC
11 Second Final Demand Notice &… [2.21 MB] November 29, 2018
12 CD DG La Grange 2nd Final …… [454.22 KB] (email)December 10, 2018 11:58 Chris Fallentine (Cross Development with Dollar General) to: Peter Kampa, Cc: Robert Vann; Wendee Zang; Maggie Blakewood
13 RE: CD DG La Grange 2nd Final… [459.79 KB] (email) December 10, 2018 12:11 Wendee Zang (Cross Development with Dollar General) TO: Chris Fallentine; Peter Kampa, cc Robert Vann; Maggie Blakewood
14 RE: CD DG La Grange 2nd Final Demand 462.78 KB] (email)December 10, 2018 12:17 Chris Fallentine to: Wendee Zang; Peter Kampa Cc: Robert Vann; Maggie Blakewood
15 RE: CD DG La Grange 2nd Final Demand [486.98 KB] (email)December 10, 2018 15:45 to: Peter Kampa Cc: Wendee Zang; Robert Vann; Maggie Blakewood
OK, with this listing we can now begin to add the original correspondence with any other attachments to that file that were included. (If the file contents are merely circulating old information copies I will identify them as such).
CHRONOLOGICAL DOLLAR GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE
DG #1
5 Letter to Accept Main … [86.32 KB] June 14, 2018 (no letterhead yet signed as LDPCSD GM) FIRST LETTER from Pete Kampa to CD DG LA GRANGE LLC-
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT:
THIS LETTER MAKES IT CLEAR
NO PROJECT COMPLETION AND DISTRICT ACCEPTANCE –
NO WATER SERVICE FOR DOLLAR GENERAL OPERATIONS!
Think it strange addressed to “To whom it may concern” regarding such an important project? You would think a GM would have a list of responsible parties to every contract with the district for whatever service.
second DOLLAR GENERAL communication-(and #6 of the 15 records Kampa provided)
DG #2
6 Dollar General.eml [20.07 KB] (email) September 6, 2018 17:20 pkampa@kampacs to David Gonzalves, Tuolumne County Cc Syndie ldpcsd
“David,
I wanted to let you know that the Dollar General store in Lake Don Pedro has not yet submitted the documentation, bonds and other information necessary for the District to accept the water main serving the property. I am not sure if they have their occupancy certificate from your agency, and am hopeful that we are providing this notice in advance of such final.
We notified them over two months ago of the requirements under their agreement with us for the construction and acceptance of the improvements. None of the requirements are that difficult for the business to accomplish, such as as-built drawings, accounting of the cost of the improvements, and a warranty bond; but I am concerned that they will wait until the last minute and it will appear as though we are holding them up, which is obviously not the case. Our Board meets only monthly with the next being on September 17, 2018; and we have not heard from them and at the same time hear the community is excitedly awaiting a grand opening very soon.
I just wanted to head off any last minute trouble. Please let me know the status of their final, and how we can work together to get this store opened.
Sincerely,
Pete Kampa”
~~~~~~
DG #3
7 Out of Office: Dollar General…[14.4 KB] (email) September 6, 2018 17:20 David Gonzalves, Tuolumne County TO: Peter Kampa:
“I will out of the office for a brief period . Any items requiring immediate action will need to be handled by staff. Please contact Quincy Yaley at (209)533-5961 or Kim MacFarlane at (209)533-5604 for any managment issues or decisions regarding CRA. Or you may contact Karen Willenberg, (209) 533-6641) as well, for any items needing attention during this period.”
DG #4
8 Re: Dollar General Store.eml [28.67 KB] September 7, 2018 07:38 David Gonzalves Tuolumne County TO: Pete Kampa Cc: syndie@ldpcsd; Quincy Yaley:
Peter. We are experiencing some real difficulties with the construction team and will review this information and discuss
I am going to forward this to John Gray as well
We will contact you once a path is determined
David B Gonzalves
Community Resource Agency
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 6, 2018, at 5:20 PM, Peter Kampa <pkampa@kampacs.com<mailto:pkampa@kampacs.com>> wrote:
David,
I wanted to let you know that the Dollar General store in Lake Don Pedro has not yet submitted the documentation, bonds and other information necessary for the District to accept the water main serving the property. I am not sure if they have their occupancy certificate from your agency, and am hopeful that we are providing this notice in advance of such final.
We notified them over two months ago of the requirements under their agreement with us for the construction and acceptance of the improvements. None of the requirements are that difficult for the business to accomplish, such as as-built drawings, accounting of the cost of the improvements, and a warranty bond; but I am concerned that they will wit until the last minute and it will appear as though we are holding them up, which is obviously not the case. Our Board meets only monthly with the next being on September 17, 2018; and we have not heard from them and at the same time hear the community is excitedly awaiting a grand opening very soon.
I just wanted to head off any last minute trouble. Please let me know the status of their final, and how we can work together to get this store opened.
Sincerely,
[cid:image003.jpg@01D44605.E98F9930]
DG #5
9 RE: Dollar General Store.eml [20.53 KB] (email) September 7, 2018 08:00 David Gonzalves, Tuolumne County CRA to Peter Kampa and Quincy Yaley:
I do not believe that we authorized stocking.
Quincy and the building official can address this issue
David B Gonzalves
Community Resource Agency
Sent from my iPhone
> On Sep 7, 2018, at 7:55 AM, Peter Kampa <pkampa@kampacs.com> wrote:
>
> David,
> Your response if very much appreciated. It appears as though the store is stocked and ready to go….
>>
> —–Original Message—–
> From: David Gonzalves <DGonzalves@co.tuolumne.ca.us>
> Peter. We are experiencing some real difficulties with the construction team and will review this information and discuss
>
> I am going to forward this to John Gray as well
>
> We will contact you once a path is determined
>
> David B Gonzalves
> Community Resource Agency
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Sep 6, 2018, at 5:20 PM, Peter Kampa <pkampa@kampacs.com<mailto:pkampa@kampacs.com>> wrote:
>
> David,
> I wanted to let you know that the Dollar General store in Lake Don Pedro has not yet submitted the documentation, bonds and other information necessary for the District to accept the water main serving the property. I am not sure if they have their occupancy certificate from your agency, and am hopeful that we are providing this notice in advance of such final.
>
> We notified them over two months ago of the requirements under their agreement with us for the construction and acceptance of the improvements. None of the requirements are that difficult for the business to accomplish, such as as-built drawings, accounting of the cost of the improvements, and a warranty bond; but I am concerned that they will wit until the last minute and it will appear as though we are holding them up, which is obviously not the case. Our Board meets only monthly with the next being on September 17, 2018; and we have not heard from them and at the same time hear the community is excitedly awaiting a grand opening very soon.
>
> I just wanted to head off any last minute trouble. Please let me know the status of their final, and how we can work together to get this store opened.
> Sincerely,
>
> [cid:image003.jpg@01D44605.E98F9930]
DG #6
10 Letter to accept Main Line… [276.83] pdf September 11th 2018 LDPCSD Letterhead URGENT NOTICE from Pete Kampa to CD DG LA GRANGE LLC: (with attached June 14, 2018 initial correspondence)
HERE AN OCTOBER 5, 2018 DEADLINE FOR DOLLAR GENERAL TO FURNISH ALL NECESSARY DOCUMENTS HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED TO AVOID INTERRUPTION OF WATER SERVICE.
DG #7
11 Second Final Demand Notice &… [2.21 MB] November 29, 2018:
PREPARE! It’s long – much of it appears “boiler plate” (traditional) type contract explanation of the duties and obligations of each party and what is generally expected on both sides – but I am no attorney, so who knows if there are not “other secret options” already planned and planted in this agreement since Kampa admitted to expecting such problems with Dollar General anyway. Who knows what is going on really when false information is relayed by the GM/TREASURER?
When I read the part about DG having to disclose what APNs and street addresses would be served by this line extension “project”, I thought….“Oh crap! What other properties other than the two approved by the Board of Directors, which were the Dollar General and the Don Pedro storage facility? Has DG with “a wink and nod” of Kampa, (or visa versa), permitted other outside WL11395 POU LAFCo Annexed properties in the area connection access to “their private water main extension” that GM/Treasurer Pete Kampa admitted WAS A PRIVATE WATER LINE transporting public water?
The point is, who knows where?—- IF OTHER CONNECTIONS WERE MADE OR PREPARED FOR DURING THIS LINE EXTENSION PROJECT? (For instance, DG contractor installed infrastructure to serve properties in the area not party to this contract so that convenient connection could be made in the future without shutting down line pressure. Then let’s say, for the sake of argument, there is a big legal battle over shutting off Dollar General, but even in that event with the district winning the suit and displaying photos of the lock on the DG water meter, where else has this newest “main extension” actually permitted further undocumented diversion and use outside the WL POU that is not documented in LDPCSD records? Just like 20 years ago – main extensions and lateral lines going who knows where?
Just a thought because I am not a water law attorney or a special interest remote GM, but look what has happened in the past. Why was the LDPCSD really formed by the two County LAFCo s? Just to provide a convenient water source for developing vast areas of rural drought prone foothill areas in both counties with the most important aspect being that it was FREE DEVELOPMENT MONEY for difficult areas that the county wouldn’t have to furnish!
You bet! The thousands of suckers (innocent people who merely appreciated the foothills and wanted to live here) purchasing property in the Lake Don Pedro Owners Association (LDPOA) and thereby becoming a MR WEC, and MANDATORY LDPCSD CUSTOMER) would be subsidizing a special benefit GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION PROGRAM (furnished by the LDPCSD to CIRCUMVENT Water License 11395 RESTRICTIONS ON DIVERSION and USE OF MERCED RIVER WATER) that would fund developments outside MR WECs Lake Don Pedro subdivision which is the legal Place of Use for Merced River water.
Best part is, the dumb ass MR WECs didn’t/don’t even realize the scam as rates and fees continued to go up beyond what was necessary to simply supply water service to those legally entitled due to the status of their property as a Common Interest Development and governed by a Davis Sterling recognized Property Owners Association with Governing Documents and Covenants, Codes and Restrictions which are far more restrictive on land use and development than LAFCO ANNEXED PROPERTIES INTO THE DISTRICT which often propose competing residential subdivisions greatly increasing the water demand for expensive ground water. Vicious cycle of fraud for a special district violating core purposes for existence.
This whole mess seems typical of Pete Kampa and I certainly would not discount a surreptitious co-operation far outside public knowledge and behind the scene deals involving that “private water line”. Anyway, BELOW is a very important letter (with attachments) and contains much interesting information.
DG #8
12 CD DG La Grange 2nd Final …… [454.22 KB] (email) December 10, 2018 11:58 FROM Chris Fallentine (Cross Development with Dollar General) to: Peter Kampa, Cc: Robert Vann; Wendee Zang; Maggie Blakewood:
“Good afternoon Pete,
We are scrambling to get the matter resolved for the Dollar General in LaGrange, CA. I have inserted into this email your chart of the billing. I would like you to review it and comment on a couple of issues.
Who has been the party that has issued the two checks for $3,000.00?
In all of the billings listed below, how many are due to contractor failures/reinspection’s or other contractor related costs that would have been outside the normal billing?
Cross Development is processing a check right now for the $2,600.00. We would like to get all matters concerning this issue resolved by the end of the week. If you have each of the items listed in hand this week, has soon can we consider this resolved?”
Thanks,
Chris Fallentine
209-605-7193
__________________
DG #9
13 RE: CD DG La Grange 2nd Final… [459.79 KB] (email) December 10, 2018 12:11 FROM Wendee Zang (Cross Development with Dollar General) TO: Chris Fallentine; Peter Kampa, cc Robert Vann; Maggie Blakewood:
Chris,
We made the two $3,000 payments.
Check #12031 went out on 2/1/18 & check #10461 went out on 8/24/17.
I have requested another check o go out this Thursday for the $2600 deposit, per the invoice received from Lake Don Pedro.
Please let me kow if you need anything else.
Thanks!
Wendee Zang
&&&&&&&&&
DG #10
14 RE: CD DG La Grange 2nd Final Demand 462.78 KB] (email) December 10, 2018 12:17 From Chris Fallentine to: Wendee Zang; Peter Kampa Cc: Robert Vann; Maggie Blakewood:
Thanks Wendee. I’ll keep the pressure up on these other items.
Thanks,
Chris Fallentine
209-605-7193
(NOTE: ALSO CONTAINED EMAIL HISTORY OF REQUEST TO ALL PARTIES – ALREADY POSTED)
DG #11
15 RE: CD DG La Grange 2nd Final Demand [486.98 KB] (email) December 10, 2018 15:45 to: Peter Kampa Cc: Wendee Zang; Robert Vann; Maggie Blakewood:
Thanks Pete. I would just like to confirm with Syndie that the General Contractor didn’t cause additional monies to be paid due to failed inspections or additional inspection due to poor performance. I do know that The Hatch Group paved over the old water meter and had to go back and open up the asphalt and have it removed and capped.
Thanks,
Chris Fallentine
209-605-7193
DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE
OK, that’s it, 11 Dollar General related files plus the 4 unrelated files, that makes a complete count of the 15 communications provided by Kampa for my PIR.
SO, now that we have gone through these files……
How many Kampa emails were sent to the Dollar General?
ZERO!
Kampa emails were indeed sent to Tuolumne County crying about the DG not following the contract provisions and attempting to halt the planned Grand Opening, but as far as emails to the Dollar General, I must have missed them. A couple of letters, yes, but no emails.
Guess I need to listen to that audio recording again…….sure thought he said he had sent 15 emails……
There are some other very important questions regarding what happened with this Dollar General project but I’m beat and a hot buttered rum sounds fantastic about now.
Maybe I’ll check for major errors and/or correct later….but I doubt it right now.
Seems I often wake in the morning thinking about things that simply do not make sense concerning the Lake Don Pedro Community Services District [LDPCSD] (essentially, the local public water company whose water source was planned and intended to be water license 11395 which lists the Lake Don Pedro residential subdivision as the Place of Use (POU) [CPUC transferred Sierra Highlands Water Company facility and assets to the LDPCSD in Jan 1981] for Merced River water pumped from Lake McClure). This probably explains the “tossing and turning” at night sometimes too – you know, with the resulting waking up in the morning talking to yourself out loud! lol
Anyway, this morning I was confusing my dog by thinking out loud how the directors and GM make such a production of their stated sincere efforts to identify and control a massive water loss spanning decades (both treated water for human consumption and raw, straight from the source without treatment for such purposes as agricultural irrigation). Now, you would think, any sincere effort to get that monster of a water loss under control –
(especially in a drought prone area during a state wide emergency drought when customers are already paying $53 a month before a single drop of water is used due to a Prop 218 to avoid bankruptcy almost ten years ago)
– would begin with the FIRST STEP (GM/Treasurer Pete Kampa acknowledged) of having water meters that work and are accurate.
I know. Shocking information yeah? I mean having water meters that work and are accurate for a public water company?
Need to take a break? Relax a bit? Yeah, me too!
Maybe grab an adult beverage or something?
OK, here we go…..having water meters that work and are accurate? DUH!
Who would have ever thought such “liquid cash registers” in the form of water meters for billing purposes, should actually work and indicate accurate consumption? Seems fairness to the customer is often over looked in favor of a company profit rationale, but hey, what has been fair about the LDPCSD concerning MR WECs? Anyway, thank Heavens for the professional management assistance our district board receives in identifying such an elusive problem and then immediately proceeding with a corrective action using grant funds.
“But that’s not the problem at all” I yawned just before 0500hrs this morning as my canine companion slowly turned, looked at me then exhaled a long and drawn out accepting breath that it was to be another inside day. Just as well, cold, foggy, I’m still healing, besides, she did not know it at the time but today was also a bath day for her! Evil sounding lol in background…..
Anyway, “But that’s not the problem at all”- the board and GM only talk about following up on this NO BRAINER of a plan to obtain working and accurate meters and track down the water loss. OK, but when did the GM state they were going to be replaced? Couldn’t recall so I started looking – hum, April 18, 2016.
So now I can write affirmatively that it has been 2 years and 8 months of recognizing the problem but they still have not installed proper accurate meters necessary to track down this outrageous water loss MR WECs has paid for since the LDPCSD was formed by the County LAFCOs of Mariposa and Tuolumne in August 1980!
The Board and GM since October 2014 have been too busy attempting to divert even more water outside the subdivision to Kampa’s LAFCO ANNEXATIONS from 20 years ago and have made it quite clear – if they can’t expand service with a “fake POU map scam” (to serve Merced River water under WL11395) they will simply continue to force the thousands of MR WECs of the Lake Don Pedro subdivision to subsidize an increased GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION PROGRAM (to circumvent WL11395 water restrictions of NO SERVICE OUTSIDE SUBDIVISION) to provide service to all TUOLUMNE and MARIPOSA COUNTY LAFCO ANNEXATIONS (including competing residential subdivisions adjacent to Lake Don Pedro), or as long as they own their Lake Don Pedro subdivision property! (And you thought the LDPCSD Board and their special interest supporting GM had forgotten you for Christmas?)
Imagine, these LAFCo’s created the LDPCSD in a known high fire severity zone and drought prone region;
prior to LDPCSD formation in 1980, LAFCOs changed the service area boundaries of their creation to be much larger than they knew the CPUC was prepared to approve in the January 1981 transfer of facility and assets from the then Sierra Highlands Water Company to the newly formed Lake Don Pedro CSD;
later LAFCos “doubled down” on that water service area expansion by approving further questionable annexations into their LDPCSD water purveyor without good faith research or reasonable and prudent planning; (ie, Mariposa’s detailed Sphere of Influence (SOI) study report without one word regarding the operating water license restrictions of no service outside subdivision? Mariposa LAFCO Resolution 76-4 “will only consider such applications for annexation where it is shown that adequate water and sewer service are provided for in said application”.)
LAFCOs essentially forced the thousands of current and future property owners of the Lake Don Pedro residential subdivision –
(who were mandatory LDPCSD CUSTOMERS because of their COMMON INTEREST DEVELOPMENT (CID) PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION (POA) -CC&Rs (COVENANTS, CODES and RESTRICTIONS) attached to their property title,
– to assume the financial responsibilities for an extremely expensive special benefit GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION PROGRAM TO CIRCUMVENT STATE WATER LICENSE DIVERSION AND USE RESTRICTIONS for their special interest LAFCo ANNEXATIONS into the LDPCSD;
– and for the MR WECs of the Lake Don Pedro subdivision to continue to subsidize an ever increasing GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION PROGRAM for all current and future LAFCO ANNEXATIONS (INCLUDING PROPOSED COMPETING RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISIONS ADJACENT TO WHERE THEIR WATER WAS UNETHICALLY OBTAINED FOR DEVELOPMENT) for as long as they own their Lake Don Pedro property. Wow! What a deal.
Fits right in with the MYSTERY of the original LDPCSD water service area map commissioned by Mariposa County LAFCO that has been missing in action since 1980 despite multiple requests for its production by other government entities and the public. Yet, still no official, initial LAFCO map of the district they created.
(Ahhh, but I think “we” know why……it was all about what was hidden in the metes and bounds survey language (that means nothing to most people who are not trained as surveyors or engineers – or involved in the “LAFCO-LDPCSD MAP DECEPTION”) that greatly enlarged the LDPCSD’s service area certainly far beyond what the CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION WAS PREPARED TO, AND ACTUALLY, APPROVED IN JANUARY 1981! Ah oh, repeating myself, yeah? Oh well. (Heck, the LDPCSD was formed immediately after the State of California declared WL11395 to be fully appropriated and being put to maximum beneficial use per the State Constitution.
Yup, ink was barely dry from the State’s proclamation the water license was maxed out, when Mariposa County LAFCO then secretly expanded the district substantially and such annexation expansion has not stopped – despite clear logic and instructions from the CPUC. Yup, did you know the CPUC specifically excluded such annexations and water deals stating they should not become obligations of the TO BE FORMED LDPCSD?
I did huh?
Yet here is Kampa still attempting to maneuver a WIN through the system with the same worn out misrepresentations of fact and various falsehoods denied in the past. Heck, the State has been through this exact same thing when back in 1977 the LDP SO GOSIP (Same Old Group of Special Interest People) tried to “plant” a “FAKE POU MAP” with the water board in hopes of ratifying what they were already doing…. serving Merced River water far outside the POU restrictions of WL11395 and planning to divert even more for other proposed residential subdivisions in the area.
Wow! Imagine, LAFCO substantially increasing the local water demand while ordering the LDPCSD to provide water for annexed developments it could not legally provide under the state license.
Ahhhhh, THEN PART II OF THIS FRAUD AND EXPLOITATION. GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION PAIR FOR BY MR WECs! MR WECs is then further exploited as a “mandatory customer of the LDPCSD” due to the CC&Rs (Covenants, Codes and Restrictions) of their CID (Common Interest Development), POA (Property Owners Association) called the Lake Don Pedro Owners Association (LDPCSD), that actually created the LDPCSD (Lake Don Pedro Community Services District) with an affirmative vote of only 88 people – financially victimizing thousands of property owners in the subdivision for perpetuity.
I did again, huh? Sorry, what about…..
And our Board and Kampa have un-apologetically arranged for MR WECs to further subsidize an extremely expensive groundwater replacement program for all LAFCO ANNEXATIONS into the district that cannot legally receive the intended Merced River water from the subdivision. So, now, in addition to all the other added costs associated with these LAFCO ANNEXATIONS (many of which violate LAFCO’s own operating policies concerning annexations into a special district like the LDPCSD) MR WECs must now also pay for their groundwater substitution.
OK, OK…..but ….
how was that alternate source of water based on groundwater wells actually developed? Through misappropriated grant funds designated for the drought relief of existing customers not providing further water service outside the POU!
Alright….
But, what about this unethical groundwater substitution only circumvents clear Merced River water restrictions in WL11395?
Yes,OK, I repeat myself. I’ll wrap it up.
I honestly do not understand how such activity could be anything but a continuing fraud (against the legitimate water users forced to pay much more for their CSD water than necessary to financially support private developers outside the subdivision who do not want to drill and be financially responsible for their own groundwater wells) and conspiracy to violate the law, with emphasis on the state restrictions regarding legal water diversions and use, but I’m just a MR WECs and powerless to stop this insanity but I sure as hell can express my disgust and hope someone or something out there does have the authority and power! BRING IT ON!
Hey viewers! Here’s the meeting from Monday – and as old Professor Farnsworth would say:
GOOD NEWS EVERYBODY!
There are very few Lew View comments!
(Difficult to keep toast down already listening to “The voice of the district”!)
lol!
Here we go….just quivering with excitement yeah?
~~~
Monday, December 17th, 2018
Johnson: opens meeting at 1307hrs, all present, stand for pledge
JOHNSON ANNOUNCEMENTS: asked if people knew what happened 49 years ago today, 49th Wedding Anniversary of Wes and Gigi Barton.
PUBLIC COMMENT – no comment
Johnson thanks everyone for their support.
Warren: First came on board during heart of drought, only had 60-90 days of water, sees we got our million dollars back plus land purchase, a lot of improvements to system, got the million bucks back – thanks the board and public for keeping them “honest”? Good work and proud to be part of it.
Johnson: everybody made it successful.
Wes Barton: Dec 2014 $1 million – $600,000 spent during the emergency.
GM REPORT BY KAMPA:
Impossible to read water audit report ? Not in agenda packet? Reads approximately 10 acre feet lost in raw water, and 7.34 AF treated or 22% of what produced. Hope projects working on will help control failing lines. Black smudges on paper.
Johnson: report states? KAMPA: 22% of the treated water lost.
ROSS: How consistent is the water loss from month to month between 22-38%. Ross believes somebody is diverting the water for use. Someone is taking water without paying for it he believes. Has been this way since 2008. ???? (longer than that)
Kampa stated 5 lines leaking all the time put out a lot of water. Not consistent month after month. Fluctuates according to amount of water in system…. Emery stated with all the repairs that have been made the loss should have gone down but remains fairly constant.
Kampa agreed there was a problem. Kampa said they don’t even know if the ones they are going to replace are actually leaking. Ross said the loss should go down and Kampa agreed. Kampa said there was no doubt some were leaking, but was that the totality of the problem? And he didn’t think so.
The survey found 3 illegal connections but Kampa believes we have more.
7.34 treated, 10AF raw, 17.5 AF total.
Johnson: total water consumption for this period? Kampa stated those figures were in gallons not AF, and did some quick calculations……Johnson wanted to know how many AF we sold….. $6,000 in lost water?
KAMPA – affluent meter vault flooded and doesn’t work…. manual read for 10 years…..will be replaced. Measures all water leaving plant…..couldn’t test before…….. if can’t find will hire a water audit expert….
Johnson felt the consistent water loss requires a different strategy – perhaps physical inspection of meter boxes.
Kampa reported a lot of research the mapping …..documentation is very fragmented. Spans a huge amount of time, a couple of things of no doubt, the district followed the county line (rehashing same 411 as last month). Sierra Highlands Water Company was being followed for the LDPCSD boundaries. Owners’ Association study …… took boundaries of Sierra Highlands Water Company, what Sierra Highlands had approved by the CPUC, documentation is only in pieces. No doubt, probably going to be difficult for state to put it all together, likely going to send back to us and have it surveyed to prove it an administrative mistake. (THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! EVEN MORE MONEY TO SPEND and TIME TO WASTE ON KAMPA’S SPECIAL INTEREST 20 YEAR OLD ANNEXATIONS THAT WANT TODAY’S EXPENSIVE GRANT FUNDED EMERGENCY DROUGHT GROUNDWATER PRODUCTION FOR DEVELOPMENT?)
Kampa says no one place to go for the information. Kampa pouring over documents and sending to the state.
Johnson: survey the entire district or just the areas in question?
KAMPA- they’re going to want a surveyor to take the two documents survey and the map and compare the two. Problem is, Mariposa County side of the drawn map can see the whole left side shifted down and does not follow property lines. (UNIT 7 abandoned and was never included in the SIERRA HIGHLANDS WATER COMPANY SUBDIVISION OR THE LATER CID/POA and CC&R GOVERNED RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION!)
JOHNSON: Want this approved where there is no doubt where the boundaries are, should have been done a long time ago. (Already done multiple times but the SO GOSIP (same old group of special interest people) refuse to abandon their proposed money making developments outside the subdivision fueled with proposed entitled subdivision water!)
Kampa said it would either be an administrative error or we need to go through a petition process to change the POU. Shouldn’t be too bad because we are already providing service and not bringing in new areas to be developed – they’re existing…..(Perhaps forgot the recent McDonough issue where a property was supposedly brought back into the LDPCSD, which was something I thought only LAFCO had the authority to do? That property was brought back into district boundary for the specific purpose of development with groundwater substitution paid for by MR WECs!)
Ross said surveying the subdivision would be a can of worms because there are only pieces of rebar marking the survey locations. Ross said they required brass topped pins with surveyor’s information.
KAMPA said it’s been a lot of preparing for the service line contract – closing out reimbursements – will show up next month.
Randy not present again….out with stomach flu.
Kampa will cover his operations report again. Normal maintenance around plant. Kampa concerned with co-ordination with PG&E to fix leak. Can’t get information. Randy said it needs to be an emergency to get PG&E out there…..same 411 as last month!
Jose passed his T-2 examination. (D-1/T-2 now and takes pressure off other employees)
DOLLAR GENERAL. Director Warren asked if there was any new information on the Dollar General not fulfilling the contract as reported earlier?….. Kampa asked Syndie, no. Only to get a check to the district which puts a band aid on the wound. Kampa says it hurts them, because they now own a private water line but there are a lot of main extensions without proper documentation, and DG has not finished their documentation. Most developers will not complete documentation unless something is held back from their completion but the County of Mariposa TUOLUMNE went ahead and gave them a certificate of occupancy. Whoops! Haven’t received any money but he expects we will but not the documentation.
KAMPA does not believe Dollar General will honor what the district is requesting even though he has talked with them multiple times on telephone, 15 times in emails.
Director Ross discussed the AMR (automated meter reading) system and the major failures experienced through the years creating a long meandering discussion including the topic of debris in water tanks (including small fish) and deteriorating main water line from Lake McClure.
Ross asked if it would be tens of millions of dollars to replace the raw water line. Kampa said he would have to check his budget figures but Johnson stated it would be approximately 2.5 million and Kampa agreed.
VP Hankemeier asked about the barge project (last report was contact could not be made or information obtained regarding the progress of the rebuild project). Kampa said he left another message that morning for information as they have some new REDESIGN options they are exploring and are drawing them up for the engineer now to be sure they meet the requirements previously set. Kampa stated “we”’ would have to put the heat on them.
Johnson confirmed that the new groundwater wells could only provide 50% of the district’s true water demand (recall that the district was under mandatory water conservation when wells brought on line) and if the other intake pump goes out the district would likely required a 50% or more water restriction in consumption for the wells to cover demand.
Barge is dry docked with no “in the water again” approximate date.
WES BARTON: Stated he was looking at the situation from an organizational standpoint and what could have happened if we were properly staffed. He felt many of the questions brought up would never have occurred because the board would have been more involved. Wes stated he has been looking into the outside POU and map controversy and felt Lew Richardson had some good information about the situation. Wes stated if he understood the state’s position (violation notice) this situation was not appropriate for an “administrative remedy” (as Pete Kampa has repeatedly stated) but requires a full change petition to the SWRCB which is not simply asking local people here what they want to do, but rather, noticing all users of Merced River water as to any plan to change current POU boundary and water use regulations. Barton said the issue wasn’t whether the maps are right or wrong, but rather, does the district want to expand the POU BOUNDARY beyond what was established originally? Wes stated they were arguing about stuff that had already been decided and should be looking at other things. He commented on where were we going to expand? He referenced some material Pete Kampa had provided that suggested only 3 new homes a year. He said a good accountant would have had the Dollar General set up with a pre-fund that the district would draw from without having to chase after the money owed. Regarding the Barrett Cove leak that has continued for months due to the lack of PG&E to repair a power pole next to the leak…..what happened to the $16-$19,000 claim for damages PG&E had against the LDPCSD? (When district dug up some PG&E power lines looking for our water lines.) Wes said he never saw a payment from the district to PG&E and wondered if that was part of the problem regarding PG&E’s failure to respond to the power pole problem near the continuing main line leak. Wes said that leak has apparently expanded. Wes said he has noticed the increase in water because that is where he has always walked every day.
Director Ross: Without people in the audience the board would not be as good as it is. Watching us and bringing stuff to the board. It takes a lot to come to meetings but it keeps the directors on their toes.
Johnson said the board does listen (referenced Richardson’s comments) but it takes time and money to address concerns. (Oh really? How much time would it have taken for any one Director to pick up the telephone and order an official POU map from the SWRCB instead of listening to a GM with an obvious documented special interest in land development annexations outside the SUBDIVISION PLACE OF USE from 20 years ago he himself set up when starting his infamous water career?) The board is trying to fix things from decades ago.(No, you are actually re-litigating POU issues settled decades ago by the state (because of Kampa’s FAKE POU MAP) but outside subdivision developers still want more of our water and Pete Kampa wants MR WECS to continue paying for such special benefit groundwater substitution service.) Johnson said he got on the board to help the district, customers and community. He had worked with electrical panels before and when he saw the panel at the CSD it scared him. He appreciated the input.
Item 4 – Johnson wanted to pull out the engineer’s document (from consent agenda) for board discussion. Board approved remaining treasurer’s report and minutes.
Since Binkley Engineering is retiring from our District business – Kampa discussed his research on the new engineering firm and his decision to go with Blackwater Engineering out of Modesto with whom he has worked with in the past. Approved.
(Confusion over placement of information in the packet – Kampa stated he accidentally placed items in wrong order.)
KAMPA: Lowest bidder for the grant service line replacement and meter project – tour of district equipment in the rain for bidding contractors – sealed bid/10% bid bond – received 6 bidders, 12 at pre-bid, 6 turned in that morning. Must take lowest responsible bidder. Discussion regarding possible reasons for the varying bid estimates. Some of the pipe materials being used for replacement are not certified “lead free” as now required by new state standards – but said it was not a big deal.
Director Warren mentioned one bid averaged $7,000 per service line replacement which was much higher that what we previously paid for the work.
GM Kampa said competitive bidding does not always get you the best deal. Kampa said some of the cost was for re-doing the temporary asphalt repairs done in the past with permanent asphalt patches. A couple of hundred need to be re-done.
Warren stated that in reality we were back to $2,000 a pop.
Kampa said to be honest is was closer to $2,500 per line without the asphalt repair. He said the whole first year (2015) was done without reimbursing the district with grant money – all out of pocket. He said we only got a portion of it back.
Warren reiterated we were paying $2,000 each without asphalt and it didn’t seem to make sense.
Kampa stated he wanted to provide more information….and discussed some of the reimbursement he anticipated from the state in the future which was $335,067.
Director Warren stated he was rather shocked by the cost of each line replacement.
Kampa again explained that the repairs were a little bit different this time because everything will be new, whereas not all of the previously replaced lines replaced all the old components leaving a weak link in the line. He also reminded directors that the new repairs include all the asphalt repairs required. Johnson asked if Kampa had an area for the first repairs and he responded “yep”, and stated the majority of the repairs would be located ….. paused, and referenced a “central reduced zone“ it’s past the pressure regulating valve –
Johnson asked for street names. Kampa replied, Banderilla, Capullo Circle, pretty much all down around the golf course on either side, up to Banderilla, and up to the Alamo Zone north side and all the way down to the other.
Kampa said the incidence of failures in the area was the factor in selecting them for first replacement and they have higher pressures.
Public comment? None.
Johnson asked about the communication to the community to let them know what was happening. Perhaps something in the newspaper? Johnson wanted to show what we have received for the money spent. Johnson wants a document advertising the beneficial projects completed with the grant money for publishing for the community to appreciate the work.
Board approves notice of award for the contractor bid. Unanimous.
Victor Afanasiev questioned what newspaper would be used since the Sonora Union Democrat was no longer available in Lake Don Pedro. Syndie responded, Foothill Express and the Mariposa Gazette, Johnson said it could also go on the LDPCSD website. Kampa said he would do a press release for local media.
5b. Resolution approving compliance monitoring contract. P29-37. Another additional document handed out at the meeting. Unanimous decision.
5c. From last month – operations reporting and priorities. Kampa didn’t expect this date to be the planning session but discussion would be good – avoid dwelling on small projects.
Director Warren wanted a priority designation of some type with approximate cost.
Johnson then reiterated he wanted a specific report on where time is being spent by our employees. Where are our resources being spent. Is the AMR project actually saving time, or costing district more time and money? Sick time, vacation time, how are things being taken care of by our employees? Service maintenance plan board set up – is it helping? Hindering?
Kampa said it could help but is not being used at this time. Johnson asked if the program was too cumbersome and prevented employees from using the plan? Kampa said it was a matter of having the time, Johnson again asked, where is the time being spent? He said all he hears is there isn’t enough time for whatever, and he wants to know where the time is being spent.
Director Warren said we don’t have the manpower to do a pro-active plan. He asked if the very expensive map completed was being kept up with the new data? He was more concerned with the map issue.
Ross said we didn’t have enough people to perform everything wanted.
Johnson talked about his prior employment spanning a great area with 15-20 different organizations but had a report that employees in each area filled out to indicate where time was spent. He said whatever was on the reporting sheet should equal an 8 hour day. Originally he was against the “added work” but found the reporting sheet so valuable he insisted that area managers also complete the report. He said when other managers were making up stuff in answer to the question (what were the employees doing) by top management at a meeting, he could easily report exactly what not only his employees, but their managers, were doing with their time. Johnson said he had an employee confess to him that the report actually made her feel better about the sense of not getting things done during a particular period when she read what she had accomplished during the same time period.
Johnson said a simple report like that could answer thousands of questions.
Ross questioned the process. Johnson said it hinged on trust because obviously someone could lie about what they were doing. Same as with overtime reimbursement….what was being accomplished for this overtime? Discussion of meter reading and the failure to obtain correct billable readings every month for all customers.
VP Dan Hankemeier wanted to know why employees were perceived as being reactive only and unable to proceed with other planned work.
Kampa said they will never hear from him that our employees running the plant should also be working on capital improvements. He said they were two different things, yet the employees should be identifying and reporting on district functions that need improvement. What are the time sucking projects?
Johnson: what is the goal for next month in order to support and work on these plans? Johnson provided an example: the general report of “performed service requests” should include how many, what type, etc. are all such requests revolving around a similar problem? How much time to re-read 29 meters? Once a complaint becomes a report, how long does it take to response and correction?
Director Warren felt the board was discussing subjects more appropriate for the GM and his management of his employees. Johnson reminded everyone that the subject came up last month because a groundwater well was off line for a while due to the lack of some gaskets – why didn’t we have those in stock for immediate repair? He said it was not a witch hunt, but a way for the GM to show how the board could help him and with an employee report tracking system it would not be hard to do.
This month there was $1,800 in overtime. What did district receive for that overtime? Questions a responsible board member should ask….where is the money going?
Kampa said they had to obviously discuss the district’s infrastructure and prioritization of a capital improvement plans for the future. Johnson said such a plan should have dates attached to it for completion, cost, who is accountable, etc.
Johnson reiterated his concern about the condition of intake and thought the public should be aware through district communication.
Director Warren thought 3-4 days more appropriate for such a planning workshop instead of 3-4 hours in one meeting.
Kampa said we were trying to do such projects ourselves and it was an engineering exercise, but just add new projects to others not completed from the past. He said the district has done things and then s said, wish he hadn’t of done that and he was determined not to rush the process just to get something done for the sake of saying something got done.
Johnson said the board needed to hear from operations and noted that Randy rarely attends meetings (with the operations report therefore traditionally handled by GM Kampa). Kampa said Johnson and the board would not get the real story and he doesn’t need a report sheet to tell him time is being wasted because none of the automated equipment of the plant is working. He said the plant was run 80% manually with trouble shooting ongoing. Kampa stated he has asked for a written engineering explanation of how the treatment plant is supposed to be operating. Kampa says Randy says the system is only manually operated because he doesn’t know the automatic side of the operation.
Kampa said once the new equipment is installed the employees will be trained on how to run the treatment plant automatically and will learn to walk away from the 80% manual operation.
Johnson said, tell me what they are doing – if something needs repair, get it fixed.
Kampa stated he felt he had received good direction from the board. Projects based on engineering experience and cost factor – something we will talk about with the district engineer. Johnson asked when could this happen –
A condition assessment – estimated years left of equipment, 6 months, typically a full year for a full plan, but we don’t have to do the whole thing, we can carve out certain projects…. Line replacements, raw water line, master metering, a number of projects, evaluation of the transmission line, etc., intake, treatment plant upgrades, distribution components are all part of a planning grant already submitted and will probably take another two months for decision to award planning grant under Prop 68, it might take four months to get a contract and funding for it because it is a half million dollar planning exercise, but the result is plans and specifications approved by the state ready for a construction grant or construction loan but you’ll see progress all the way through it.
Russ Warren also stated he was appalled at the condition of some of the water tanks – rotten boards supporting electronics, lack of security, level indicator systems not working properly … we needed to standardize and update some of that equipment with new technology such as electrical generation from the moving water in pipes.
Continued discussion as to what might be done. Johnson asked if Kampa if he could just explain to him the operational roles of employees because he felt there was more the board could do there.
Director Emery Ross asked Wes Barton how many people were here in 2008 – for operations? Wes replied he believed 3 or 4. Ross said, double what we have now and things weren’t getting done then.
Director Warren felt that with only three employees in operations we were slowly sinking as a district.
Johnson disagreed but continued by asking the board what they wanted to do about the matter.
VP Hankemeier asked when Kampa would have something put together for the board regarding a planning meeting for projects?
Kampa said the first part would be consulting with the engineer but a condition assessment of the plant could not be done quickly and the district had a lot to do.
Public Comment: Wes Barton stated every GM has had a plan of what needs to be done and how employees were spending or should be spending their district work time. Every GM here has had their own computer package through the years for such employee tracking costing around $1,000 – $2,000 for the software. Wes said the real question to ask was, what are employees doing that customers are willing to pay for? Those are pretty well listed. But what are they doing that customers do not want to pay for? Those are the things you want to get rid of. Wes said this could be done with some special time cards entered into that software package. Value added work, or, bad work? That can go into your computer system. That can be done but who will be using the information? We hired the CPA at $600 a month, for payroll and the financials, he now gets paid about $2,500 a month. I don’t know what he’s doing, you guys know what he’s doing but I don’t, but I think he could be doing this kind of recapping work with this information. Wes said it would take time to get started but it could be done if we stopped with the other garbage. Just like with the grants – no question that they’re a blessing but everything we do with a grant takes a lot longer and a lot more money than you can convince anyone in the public – am I to believe we got three wells for $600,000 each? I don’t think so, I don’t believe that was reasonable and I wouldn’t even try to explain it. But it happened. Why did it happen? Because it had a whole bunch of these other things in there that had to be done because of all the engineers and all. Maybe we need to staff up with the right people – so long as we’ve already got a CPA we’re more than doubling his pay right now – more than doubling it, so he could be doing these things and we could simplify the things all we want let’s throw out the things that aren’t worth doing. Wes said he wasn’t looking for a job but would be more than willing to help with the effort.
President Johnson asked for a summary.
Syndie said she had it for Kampa to meet with engineer and establish a time.
5d. Board reorganization. VP Hankemeier suggested keeping everything the same. Ross seconded.
Unanimous board decision to leave board as is.
Next closed session, 3:40hrs, will reconvene at 3:48hours.
CLOSED SESSION: CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – LITIGATION Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to paragraph (d)(2) of Government Code Section 54956.9: (1 case)
President Danny Johnson open meeting for the CLOSED SESSION REPORT OUT at 4:14 hrs, with nothing to report, and closed meeting also at 4:14hrs.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Well, that’s what I noted from listening to the two CDs (Regular Board Meeting and the CLOSED SESSION “Report Out”) I picked up yesterday.
I wonder if the litigation could be with PG&E for the damage claim the district has evidently not paid?
Or a personnel hiring matter for operations manager from last year?
Or GM Kampa’s POU map submitted to the State Water Board?
(Recall admission from last month that district could potentially be subject to “exposure”?)
Who the heck knows?
(But I sure as heck have some reasonably fact based theories.)
Scan you LDPCSD December 17th, 2018 Agenda Packet yet?
Notice what appears to be another “Kampa Sandbagging” on his GM report?
Why not included in the properly Brown Act noticed agenda and packet distributed by our local LDPCSD office?
Was Pete’s report simply not completed on time when the agenda packet was ready in the office – as required?
Or, is this a common Kampa technique utilized to obscure, conceal and/or “down play” public knowledge and appreciation for how some aspects of the LDPCSD are now operated under a Kampa Community Solutions, llc, aka, KAMPACS remote management system?
You know, GM Kampa never explained where he had used the wrong government code on information contained in previous agenda packets…..was it those GM Evaluations where a government code section dealing with DISTRICT LIABILITY and LOSSES was used? Heck questions about that numerous times did not receive any semblance of a decent response – questions regarding such pecularities usually do no. They are just forgotten until the next occurrence which is predictably the next monthly board meeting.
Is that why we see this new GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION in the agenda this month?
“6. CLOSED SESSION a. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL –LITIGATION Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to paragraph (d)(2) of Government Code Section 54956.9: (1 case) 7. ADJOURNMENT:
ANYWAY, Our Meeting Agenda Packet only included the below reference as to why there was no GM Report:
No biggie, just probably added that late report to the LDPCSD website “online packet”.
OOPS! But wait! I recall that the packets sent digitally to requesting customers, those posted on the website, or the ones handed out at LDPCSD Board Meetings are not always the same. Well today is Saturday, December 15th, 2018 so guess I had better see what has been posted on the LDPCSD website as far as the meeting agenda packet for Monday _–
SURPRISE!
(or maybe not – lol)
GOLLY GEE! There’s no DECEMBER 17th 2018 MEETING AGENDA or PACKET AVAILABLE on the LAKE DON PEDRO CSD Website.
Rather hard to read the missing GM REPORT yeah?
The monthly WATER LOSS REPORT is missing also.
GO FIGURE.
My best to you and yours, Lew
PS SURPRISE – #2!
The DECEMBER 17th 2018 Meeting Agenda and Packet are on the website…..oh yes they are!
Just under the TAB TITLE NOVEMBER 19th, 2018 who would have every thought?
Guess what?
Still no GM Report so I’ll wait until I get a CD copy of the meeting audio some time later. lol
