What ‘they’ won’t tell you, Part 4 (January 25, 2016)
What they won’t tell you about Community Ownership of the water system Part 4: Refusal by the owners of Apple Valley’s water system to operate in good faith has cost the Town of Apple Valley plenty – above and beyond the actual rate increases paid for by all of us.
Since 2011, the Town has spent more than $340,000 since 2001 fighting those rate increases alone. Our intervention has made a difference. During the most recent rate cycle, more than $13 million in new facilities and expensive replacement projects that would eventually have been paid by ratepayers were not approved.
The bottom line is this: Your Town government refuses to stand still while the Carlyle Group increases its profits at your expense.
Source: TOAV, Facebook, January 25, 2016
I guess the Town of Apple Valley, CA is serious about recycling, because this information is not only old, it has been thoroughly debunked.
First, Apple Valley Ranchos Water Company does operate in good faith; it is the Town that started this fight and is lying its collective ass off.
Second, There are no costs from Ranchos over and above the rates, period. Don’t blame Ranchos because the Town decided to waste money on its high-priced (but largely useless) legal team. But then again, the Town blames residents for requesting public documents, so this is part and parcel of the Town’s approach: Screw things up, then blame someone else.
Third, I submit that the Town’s filings had nothing to do with the CPUC decisions, as the Town’s filings were worthless and unpersuasive, and the CPUC routinely grants lower rates than requested by utilities. The Town is on record as saying the CPUC is a bunch of rubber-stamp stooges for Ranchos; it cannot now claim that it has been effective before the CPUC in reducing rate increases.
Finally, the Town is obviously standing by, unaware of what the heck is going on: The Carlyle Group no longer owns Ranchos.
This has to be one of the most stupid posts I’ve seen from the Town, and considering how stupid their other posts have been, that's saying something.
— Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.