I believe the below statement by Pete Kampa at the July 17th, 2017 Board Meeting is important in understanding how our surface water treatment plant has been reconfigured with public funds for the purpose of providing expanded special benefit water service to private third party land developers outside the MERCED RIVER WATER place of use per water license 11395.
What has PETE KAMPA been advocating to state legislators regarding the LDPCSD’s special benefit water service for the last 20 years?
You will recall such OUTSIDE Place of Use water service is accomplished through a GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION PROGRAM where every unit of MERCED RIVER WATER delivered outside the permitted SUBDIVISION & GOLF COURSE area must be replaced with an equal or greater amount of groundwater obtained from expensive groundwater wells which were developed with district and grant funds – all of which are, of course, considered PUBLIC FUNDS. This naturally raises the question:
why should the <MR WECs> of the subdivision pay for this special benefit water service?
Following Director Russ Warren’s statement of appreciation for the California Special Districts Association’s (CSDA) weekly 2-3 emails sent updating various state water issues, LDPCSD Board Vice President Dan Hankemeier advised that Pete Kampa deserved credit for his efforts – as none of it would have happened without him.
[are you sitting down?]
I wholeheartedly agree – but from a completely different and adversarial perspective.
Indeed, none of what has happened within the LDPCSD could have occurred without
Pete Kampa and his influential connections within the legitimate government process.
Pete Kampa made the following statement supporting the CSDA and its affiliates:
“Yeah so, been a ah been a long time on the CSDA board as well, watch, watching these programs evolve. They’re very, very helpful to, to districts and ah, it continues and it never goes away. You know …. having to educate the legislators about what what goes on, what decisions we make and the important issues we deal with. CSDA is the prime vehicle to get that, get that word there so its very much appreciated and ah the position that Dane holds did not exist a decade ago ah, that was a big decision on part of the [CSDA] board [where KAMPA has been a DIRECTOR for almost 20 years] to put the leadership ah, ah put the leadership support into the communities because that’s one of the biggest things getting……how else are you going to know what’s going on in Don Pedro unless you are right here, they don’t televise the meetings ah, and so, anyway thank you Dane.”
? ? ?
Seriously, think about the above statement and the near two decades Pete Kampa has spent on that CSDA Board of Directors cultivating the receptive ear of legislators involved with state water policies for special districts such as ours.
Can you imagine almost 20 years of special interest representation and influence on decisions by elected representatives in Sacramento (and else where) who have been intentionally provided incorrect information regarding the LDPCSD and who knows what else?
[ Makes me think of that extremely detailed 1987 LAFCo report supporting the LDPCSD’s expansion of water service boundaries and sphere of influence by thousands of acres outside the subdivision WITHOUT ONE MENTION OF THE MERCED RIVER WATER RESTRICTIONS CONTAINED IN WATER LICENSE 11395 UNDER WHICH THE LDPCSD LEGALLY PUMPED WATER FROM LAKE McCLURE FOR DECADES!Just a simple “over-sight”?
LIKE ALSO FAILING TO MENTION THE MANY GROUNDWATER WELLS BOISE DEVELOPED AND LATER ABANDONED DUE TO INADEQUATE AND POOR WATER QUALITY PRODUCTION? IF GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION DIDN’T WORK FOR THE ORIGINAL DEVELOPER BOISE CASCADE – WHY WOULD COUNTY LAFCOs LATER SADDLE INNOCENT LAKE DON PEDRO SUBDIVISION PROPERTY OWNERS WITH THAT SUBSTANTIAL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY THROUGH MANY DISTRICT ANNEXATIONS – and, WITHOUT REQUIRING A PUBLIC NOTICE DISCLOSURE OF THE LIABILITY INVOLVED WHEN PURCHASING A LAKE DON PEDRO OWNERS ASSOCIATION lot?
I think not.
These issues (and others) were intentionally ignored FACTS WHICH SHOULD HAVE SUPPORTED THE 1985 MARIPOSA COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT SUGGESTION OF A ZERO SPHERE OF INFLUENCE for the LDPCSD!
Yet the opposite happened…..EXPAND…..EXPAND…..EXPAND……THE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA
and let the innocent <MR WECs> pay for it for perpetuity. ]
AND IN SACRAMENTO?
Decisions made by otherwise legitimate government officials who were honestly attempting to do what was best for the “public they serve”, yet their decisions were based on extremely selective, one-sided, and self-serving information provided by organizations such as the CSDA with representatives like Pete Kampa who pursued “private water interests” with public resources and funds?
I wonder how many other CSDA Board Members also have their own for profit special district limited liability management companies on the side? Wonder if they have a “conflict of interest” type code of ethics for their members whose private business opportunities could conceivably be affected by some of the CSDA programs which recommend changes in operation of particular special districts? I have no idea and am apprehensive to start researching the CSDA after seeing that “may be hacked” warning for one of their websites. Besides, would it really matter? Apparently rules are intended to be broken by those “above the law”, right? So regulations don’t matter. Heck, take another look at the MERCED RIVER WATER POU restrictions in WL11395 which have been ignored for decades. SO many examples.
Pete Kampa was a former LDPCSD employee with a MERCED RIVER WATER outside Place of Use “CHIP ON HIS SHOULDER” acquired during his first tour of employment between the years 1994-1997 following public discovery of his wrongful attempts to greatly expand district water service outside the water license permitted place of use (residential subdivision and golf course).
KAMPA was returned to the LDPCSD in October 2014 through a board orchestrated and highly unethical closed recruitment process guaranteeing his appointment as GM and BOARD TREASURER WITH ACCESS TO OVER $1 MILLION IN SAVED DISTRICT CASH COMPLIMENTS OF A REQUIRED PROP 218 JUST TO REMAIN SOLVENT AFTER A NEAR BANKRUPTCY!
Our nonprofit LOCAL PUBLIC AGENCY (with its hard saved million dollar cash bank account) was turned over to a former disgruntled LDPCSD employee (who now had his own for profit limited liability management company on the side) for the specific purpose of completing the district expansion KAMPA started 20 years earlier through the creation of a larger GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTION PROGRAM though development of groundwater wells with public funds. (Public funds used to increase the profit margins for private land development interests wanting subdivision water.)
Kampa was returned to the LDPCSD with NOT ONLY the support of local land developers demanding water service, but also with two decades of experience within the CSDA along with the many “government contacts” with which that organization encourages access and communication.
Seriously, what chance do complaining victim LDPCSD customers have when their own “legitimate state representatives” have been provided incorrect information for decades by those representing the contrary special interests of third party land developers demanding subsidized water ?
I do not think this is funny what-so-ever as it is an excellent example of how “behind the scene activities” can circumvent and corrupt the legal process of government agencies honestly attempting to serve the needs of those entitled tax paying citizens.
My best to you and yours, Lew
