March 15, 2021 LDPCSD BOD

Quick report on the last meeting …. but first a disclaimer of sorts. Personally I have been quite torn the last year or so because of the complete failure of “the system” to provide public information regarding the hi-jacking and reconfiguration of our former surface water treatment plant into a subsidized groundwater substitution facility to circumvent restrictions in water license 11395 for LAFCO annexed property owners and my sincere appreciation and admiration for current GM McGowan for tackling many issues that have languished for proper attention for decades due to the past mismanagement and misdirection of this CALIFORNIA SPECIAL DISTRICT into further violations of the water license. All in the pursuit of a massive subsidized special benefit “blended” water service for third party LAFCO annexed land owners through the intentional fabrication of government documents to achieve the goals for this proposed “foothill water empire” funded by the mandatory LDPCSD customers of the victimized residential subdivision and misused grant money. But I digress.

Although impressed with, and thankful for, the GM’s addressing long overdue issues (most having to do with proper maintenance of facilities and equipment) I am never-the-less still suspicious of the connection with the Merced Irrigation District which worked with former GM Peter Kampa and his board……..

(twice “former GM” is the kicker to the story as the board that re-hired Kampa in 2014 knew exactly what they were paying for and expected Kampa to do….. supply water to properties our district had no legal duty or moral obligation to provide water service that Kampa had set up 20 years ago without board permission or approval)

…….and McGowan’s clear intention of following Kampa’s 20 year involvement with the CSDA (California Special Districts Association) which only assisted Peter Kampa with the exploitation of our special district for third party special interests of LAFCO annexed property. Just one big state lobbying organization assisting another State entity which fails to follow its own regulations and goals for the public good. Old news yeah? Oh well, just wanted to clarify that GM McGowan appears to be getting long over due and necessary work done. What the trade off is, if any, I don’t know but will always question ANYTHING INVOLVED WITH PETER KAMPA – especially his outrageously WRONG fabricated maps and documents! Gosh, sense any pressured thought patterns here? lol Anyway, here’s the meeting with my blah, blah, blah.

Recording begins with continuing discussion about the weather and some snow fall.
President Dan Hankemeier started to open the meeting at 1:02PM at which time the Board Secretary reminded him to announce who was present: President: Dan Monastadt (sp?) a guest speaker. The secretary explained she meant district officials… Oh. 3 directors present Danny, and …….(couldn’t recall name) Emery Ross……. Pledge of allegiance. Emery Ross raises a point of order in regards to the weather and meeting agenda….
President, any public comment? Secretary announced Director Sperry had just arrived, pubic comment regarding selling solar services to the district again…. speaker wanted board to instruct GM to provide district power use information for his presentation in the future so as to demonstrate (perhaps next month) how much the district could save in electric costs going with his solar proposal.

Auditor presentation – records were very organized. Opinion only on financial statements. Page by page explanation of the report.
1: 12PM Director Warren arrives.
Presiding officer’s report: president nothing to report.
GM Report: Water rate increase postponed until the COVID19 matter is more secure. USDA intake grant…planning done, moving forward. Grant discussion, denied CAL OES grant, barge is complete (mostly paid for) waiting to find out where and how much for storage fee. The original cost of $60,000 turned into $100,000+ …..Removed motor for security during eventual storage. Ground wells working. State required PH monitoring system being installed. Looking for a used hydraulic valve turning tool. If valves are not exercised routinely they will seize up in time. Fire hydrants are all working. Fencing company working on tank sites. All equipment working properly. District asphalt damage being caused by the garbage truck making turns within compound. Site inspection of all wells. Audit was good. Replacing meters with manual read meters. approximately 200 manual read meters. (Meter “tricks” being used by customers?) Replacing AMCO with Badger meters.

QUESTIONABLE WATER SERVICE SHUTOFFS REQUESTED BY MARIPOSA COUNTY
Discussion between GM and county regarding illegal cultivation sites. Shutting off water to properties with illegal grows. These are not residential properties, but vacant lots with a meter. Mariposa County is going after the property owners because they do not have building permits. Johnson asked what the difference was with planting regular trees in preparation for future construction, will that now be illegal? Does the county have a legal right to demand water shut off to such properties which are legally paying their water bill? Going to check with our attorney for potential liability issues. Warren stated they needed an ordinance by the county to that effect.

Apparently Director Emery Ross was involved with one of the illegal grows while searching for some stray cows on another property and stated the people that were there ran away and probably won’t come back. He said it was legal to have 26 plants per person in the county but not thousands (and thousands). Johnson suggested the county might be overstepping their authority and the district should make sure there is no liability for us. GM was only trying to work with the county on good terms. Crops already cut and burned.
SECRETARY SUGGESTED GOING BACK AND APPROVING THE AUDIT RESOLUTION
Secretary suggested backing up to page 18 in the audit report for the motion to accept the audit. (Moved to next item without accepting the audit report,.)
Unanimous approval.
Discussion regarding the 42 service requests – changing meters, re-reads, final reads on meter where the property sold, etc.
Hazard mitigation grant paperwork (emergency preparedness) apparently confused and the appropriate entity did not have the correct signed documents. GM working to clarify the information with the appropriate entities.
Discussion regarding MARTEK Company and some confrontation that had occurred with owner/employee. ???
Water loss is down and likely the result of multiple issues being corrected. 15% or less is the industry standard for water loss.
CONSENT AGENDA
The Board President questioned Page 11 and how the purchase of water could be a negative number? Discussion….. Secretary questioned whether it was a prior mistake by MID which had been acknowledged and corrected. (A billing had been sent to the wrong address.) PG&E had also been paid for the $20,000 claim for damages but due to insufficient funds a difficulty developed there and a check had to be reissued……)
Consent Agenda approved, unanimous.
DISCUSSION OF ALAMO VALVE, PAGE 47
Intake was the priority at the time but now the Alamo valve can be addressed and repaired (only 6 feet of water can be stored in that tank because of this malfunctioning valve) Need to replace the pilot and main valve. Main valve has a large leak….15 years leaking! (Years of green healthy weeds during the summer is a clue) Gravity vs hydromatic valves. GM recommends accepting a proposed remedy (repair/replacement) for the valves. Passed unanimous. 4-6 weeks after ordering parts and a report will be made to the board.
DISTRICT FAILURE
Pump was leaking – for years and years… valve does not work now due to lack of maintenance…. no money set aside for repairs…. A director asked is this site inspected on a regular basis? Why just now reported by a concerned citizen? GM advised the citizen stated he has told staff about this leak for years. GM advised now he was aware of the problem he would address the situation.
GM says there is a nice flow running from the back side. South Arbolada – bottom of the hill. Not by the tank. Johnson asked what was the point of “site inspections” if such long time leaks are not being reported for maintenance? WHy have inspections? Just wait for something to stop working.
GM said every site is unique and a check list cannot cover everything. Only way to know if a valve was nonoperational is to shut down the system and check it to determine status. Why not take photos for a current record of each site for comparison purposes? Green weeds are a clue. Should have been corrected 10 years ago. Why is there always a “spring” near our tank? Test for chlorine in the “spring water”.
Unanimous approval for expense that is not in budget, approximately $7,000.
PLANT SEPTIC UPGRADES
When GM first came here he was told leach field had been crushed and was backing up. Distribution boxes cleaned, company said the septic tank had never been cleaned, – cleaned and hydro flushed, one of the distribution boxes was completely clogged. Removed a lot of sludge (very nasty stuff). No obstructions according to camera inspection which is good news. If continued problems GM will have another leach line added. Emphasized once again, that all of this was caused by a lack of routine maintenance. Peculation was not working at all due to sludge buildup over the years. Finally taken care of and will be maintained in the future.

LEW VIEW AGAIN: THE DISTRICT’S FOCUS FOR DECADES WAS ON ILLEGALLY EXPANDING WATER SERVICE OUTSIDE THE MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICT PLACE OF USE FOR MERCED RIVER WATER PER WATER LICENSE 11395 RATHER THAN MAINTAINING OUR SURFACE WATER TREATMENT PLANT FOR THE SUBDIVISION AND GOLF COURSE FOR WHICH IT WAS DESIGNED, CONSTRUCTED AND INTENDED TO SERVE. THE WATER PLANT WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO SERVE THE ENTIRE REGION BASED ON TUOLUMNE AND MARIPOSA COUNTY LAFCO ANNEXATIONS INTO A CALIFORNIA SPECIAL DISTRICT THAT COULD NOT LEGALLY PROVIDE THE NECESSARY WATER FOR ALL THE LAFCO APPROVED AND PROPOSED NEW DEVELOPMENTS. (SEVERAL PROPOSED RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISIONS – WITH ONE APPARENTLY CONCEALED FROM THE PUBLIC VIEW FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS WHICH LAFCO NOW CLAIMS WAS ANNEXED IN 1995 WHEN KAMPA WAS HERE THE FIRST TIME. WHAT?????)

THE LAST PROP 218 WAS SUPPOSED TO SAVE OUR DISTRICT FROM BANKRUPTCY BUT THAT SAVED MILLION IN CASH WAS GIVEN TO PETER KAMPA IN ORDER TO LEVERAGE GOVERNMENT GRANTS WITH WHICH TO DEVELOP GROUNDWATER WELLS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A BLENDED MERCED RIVER WATER/GROUNDWATER PRODUCT TO CIRCUMVENT WATER LICENSE RESTRICTIONS UNDER 11395 REGARDING WATER OUTSIDE THE SUBDIVISION/GOLF COURSE APPROVED AREAS. OUR SURFACE WATER TREATMENT PLANT WAS ONCE AGAIN IGNORED WHILE ESSENTIALLY RECONFIGURED INTO A GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION FACILITY FOR LAFCO ANNEXATIONS INTO THE LDPCSD. PROPERTIES WHICH OUR DISTRICT HAD NO LEGAL DUTY OR MORAL OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE SQUAT – MUCH LESS WATER SERVICE or A GROUNDWATER BLENDED SERVICE. OTHER DEVELOPMENTS ARE FINE BUT THOSE RECEIVING A SPECIAL BENEFIT WATER SERVICE SHOULD PAY FOR THAT SPECIAL BENEFIT! THE ADDITIONAL COSTS SHOULD NOT BE “BLENDED” INTO A SHARED EXPENSE BY THE MAJORITY OF “MANDATORY LDPCSD CUSTOMERS” WHO DO NOT REQUIRE SUCH SPECIAL BENEFIT. YES, ALL THE WHILE THE MANDATORY LDPCSD CUSTOMERS OF THE SUBDIVISION (MR WECS – MERCED RIVER WATER ENTITLED CUSTOMERS) WERE DESIGNED AND DESIGNATED THE PERFECT DEEP POCKET TO SUBSIDIZE THIS FOOTHILL WATER SCAM BY THE SAME LAFCOS THAT FIRST CREATED THE SPECIAL DISTRICT AND THEN BEGAN ANNEXING PROPERTIES FOR DEVELOPMENT OUTSIDE THE WATER LICENSE PERMITTED PLACE OF USE!

NO WONDER VALVES WEREN’T BEING EXERCISED AND PROPERLY MAINTAINED, YEAH?
CONSIDER….AND NOW? ONLY A COMMUNIST CHINESE CREATED PANDEMIC PREVENTED CURRENT LDPCSD EFFORTS TO CAJOLE AND CHARGE MR WECS EVEN MORE FOR THE DECADES OF BETRAYAL, DECEIT AND NEGLIGENCE. WHERE IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY? SAME EVERYWHERE? LOOK AT OUR LAST ELECTION AND WHO IS IN THE WHITE HOUSE DESTROYING AMERICA WITH EXECUTIVE ORDERS DEFYING COMMON SENSE. THIS IS CALLED A CLUE FOLKS. NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED NIGHTMARE…….

ITEM E: SEWAGE FACILITY PROPOSED TRANSFER TO LDPCSD BY COUNTY

BUT FIRST….. (lol) WE DON’T WANT THAT LOSER! COUNTY SAYS IT DOESN’T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO RUN IT? HELL THE LDPCSD HASN’T RUN THE WATER COMPANY CORRECTLY IN 40 YEARS BUT THE COUNTY WANTS US TO TAKE ON THEIR SANITATION FACILITY MISTAKES? COUNTY CAN NOT FORCE THIS CHANGED “ROTTEN DEAL” ON THE LDPCSD AND ITS ALREADY VICTIMIZED “MANDATORY CUSTOMERS”. THE COUNTY CREATED THE PROBLEM IT SHOULD BE THE ENTITY TO MANAGE AND DEAL WITH IT.

LOOK WHAT THE COUNTY AND MARIPOSA LAFCO HAS ALREADY DONE TO WATER SERVICE OUTSIDE THE LEGAL PLACE OF USE IN THIS AREA. APPROVING DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS LEFT AND RIGHT WITHOUT FOLLOWING THEIR OWN REGULATIONS FOR DETERMINING THERE WAS EVEN ADEQUATE WATER AVAILABLE! LOOK AT THE 1987 SOI (SPHERE OF INFLUENCE) REPORT REGARDING LIKELY WATER SERVICE EXPANSION IN THE FUTURE. ALL THE FACTS, FIGURES, PROJECTIONS, AND NOT ONE WORD ABOUT THE WATER RESTRICTIONS IN THE WATER LICENSE…..OUR ONLY SOURCE OF WATER! WAS THIS WHOLE SPECIAL DISTRICT ONLY FORMED FOR THE EXPLOITATION POTENTIAL?

LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE OFFICIAL COUNTY AND LAFCO ANNEXATION RECORDS…..OOPS!

HELL, PLANNING AND LAFCO ANNEXATION RECORDS for this area HAVE BEEN CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC FOR OVER A YEAR NOW COMING UP ON TWO YEARS …. WHY?
GOSH. KIND OF SOUNDS LIKE OUR LAST 2020 ELECTION IN SOME RESPECTS.

THE DEMOCRAT LEFT CALLS IT A “BIG LIE” THAT THE ELECTION WAS RIGGED AND STOLEN – BUT WHAT TRUTH IS ACTUALLY LEAKING OUT? THEN LEFTIST SOCIAL MEDIA DE-PLATFORMS THOSE WHO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE ELECTION CORRUPTION TO “CANCEL THE OBJECTING VOICE” WHEREAS MARIPOSA COUNTY AND ITS LAFCO “STRONG ARM” SIMPLY CLOSE THE RECORDS OF THEIR CULPABILITY WHILE TRYING TO FORCE YET ANOTHER LOSER LOCAL FACILITY ON THE ALREADY VICTIMIZED PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN THE LAKE DON PEDRO SUBDIVISION.

THIS “NEW SEPTIC FACILITY” THAT MARIPOSA COUNTY WANTS THE LDPCSD TO TAKE OVER WAS BUILT OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT BOUNDARY (AND MID WL11395 PLACE OF USE FOR MERCED RIVER WATER) SO IT MUST BE FURNISHED EXPENSIVE GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION TO FUNCTION. FROM WHERE IS THAT WATER PRODUCED? FROM OUR GROUNDWATER WELLS THAT WERE SUPPOSEDLY DEVELOPED WITH GRANT MONEY INTENDED TO ASSIST EXISTING CUSTOMERS DURING AN EMERGENCY DROUGHT AND WAS PROVIDED WITH THE EXPLICIT PROHIBITION OF CREATING NEW SERVICE CONNECTIONS!

MR WECS HAVE BEEN BETRAYED SINCE THE FORMATION OF THE LDPCSD IN 1980 AND IT CONTINUES INTO 2021! OPEN THE RECORDS AND LET’S SEE HOW MARIPOSA AND TUOLUMNE COUNTIES CREATED THIS ENTIRE NIGHTMARE AND PASSED ON THE EXPENSES TO UNSUSPECTING MR WECS!
(JUST LIKE TRADITIONAL DEMOCRAT “BIG GOVERNMENT” PRETENDS TO HELP WHEN ACTUALLY ONLY THROWING GOOD MONEY AFTER BAD AND TAXING THE ALREADY VICTIMIZED CITIZENS MORE TO COVER THE GOVERNMENT’S SPECIAL INTEREST IRRESPONSIBILITY AND FROLICS AND DEPARTURES FROM COMMON SENSE. KAMPA? BIDEN? WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? ONLY THE SCALE OF DUPLICITY!)
ITEM F: DROUGHT PLAN DISCUSSION
Danny Johnson: pro active? or wait and see? …. CREATE more wells?
(Good grief.)
Director Emery Ross suggested a policy of NO LAWNS due to the potential for water shortage…. unreal coming from a commercial cattle rancher who has been supplying treated water intended for domestic residential consumption to HIS bovines for over twenty years.
Open Meeting adjourned: 2:52
CLOSED SESSION –
3:20 CLOSED SESSION REPORT OUT: nothing to report

My best to you and yours, Lew