Polls and votes (November 15, 2016)
Your excellent report on the Claremont’s failing eminent domain litigation against Golden State Water left out one interesting detail: Claremont received voter approval before moving forward (Liberty sees Claremont’s eminent-domain loss as sign of things to come in Apple Valley,
Daily Press, November 16, 2016).
Compare that to the Apple Valley Town Council’s approach. Although represented by the same law firm as Claremont, Apple Valley fought voter input tooth and nail, while claiming overwhelming support.
For almost two years, Town representatives assured us of widespread approval for their hostile takeover bid of our water company. At least three of our councilors claimed to have spoken with hundreds if not thousands of residents eager for the Town to bury us in debt to buy something we already have: A locally-controlled water company that sells water at a fair price. Of course, we had to take their word for it.
An informal poll on the Town’s website offered only the chance to support the takeover. The Town then spent tens of thousands of dollars on at least two outside polls. After the first poll, the Town claimed, 70 percent […] say they are in favor of the town acquiring the water system.
After a subsequent poll, the Town implied that support for the takeover had grown.
Yet when Chuck and Pat Hanson started Measure V to validate that support at the ballot box, Town Hall panicked, promoting its own competing ballot measure and spreading falsehoods about its contents, including the whopper that Measure V would be a roadblock
to the Town’s designs. If only!
The Town is using the same legal team to make the same frivolous arguments that resoundingly lost in Claremont, but without popular support. It’s time for Town Hall to give up on this fool’s errand, and hand out pink slips to those responsible for this multi-million dollar disaster.
— Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.
Published: Daily Press, November 20, 2016
Files related to Measure V
- 20150913 Commentary: Apple Valley water takeover plan: Know the full cost (Coupal)
- 20160621 Measure V
- 20160726 TOAV staff report on Measure V
- 20160831 Best supporters money can buy
- 20160831 Serious omission
- 20160831 Town paid more than $50K for ballot measure
- 20160904 Letter: Peter Allen supporting Measure V (Nassif)
- 20160906 Town business practices
- 20160908 Letter: Don’t waste your vote (Carloni)
- 20160911 Letter: Measure Waste (Carloni)
- 20160918 Our View: The right to vote on big projects
- 20160919 Support Measure V
- 20160923 Opinion: Measure V is for voting to ensure government is accountable (Mann)
- 20160924 Letter: Measure W (Piercy)
- 20160925 Opinion: Measure V respects Liberty Utilities customers’ rights (Sorensen)
- 20160929 Letter: Time to go (Varga)
- 20161002 Letter: Reject Measure W (Allan)
- 20161010 Letter: Truth about V and W (Bell)
- 20161011 Letter: The measure of a man (Varga)
- 20161018 Will Apple Valley become California’s Flint, MI?
- 20161020 Yes on Measure V (video)
- 20161023 Letter: Supports Measure V (Schappert)
- 20161025 Diving into the shallow waters of Measure W
- 20161102 Letter: Measure of a man (McCarthy)
- 20161102 No water in Measure W
- 20161103 More Measure W misdirection
- 20161103 No on W, Yes on V
- 20161105 Money flows like water
- 20161111 Letter: Diving into shallow ‘W’ater
- 20161111 Measure V garnered 2,319 more yes votes than Measure W
- 20161113 Tuesday’s election results
- 20161114 Measures V and W
- 20161115 Polls and votes
- 20161121 Voters show they want a say in water takeover issue (Hanson)
Files related to Claremont
- 20150308 Acquiring AVRWC is right move for Apple Valley
- 20150314 Expense of possible AVRWC acquisition difficult to gauge
- 20150514 Claremont Water System — Supplement to 2012 Appraisal Report
- 20150905 Letter: Lawyers, water, and money (O’Neil)
- 20150918 TOAV fires back at Coupal
- 20150923 Editorial: Water, takeovers, and the people
- 20151015 Cities and private equity firms fight over ownership of water systems
- 20160712 Public records request (Manning)
- 20160721 Conflict of interest (Manning)
- 20160904 Letter: Peter Allen supporting Measure V (Nassif)
- 20161012 Claremont Set To Raise Rates For Utilities
- 20161018 Will Apple Valley become California’s Flint, MI?
- 20161110 Statement of tentative decision (Claremont v. Golden State Water)
- 20161110 Judge issues tentative decision against city in water system acquisition trial (Claremont v. Golden State Water)
- 20161114 Measures V and W
- 20161115 Polls and votes
- 20161116 Another false narrative
- 20161116 Liberty sees Claremont’s eminent-domain loss as sign of things to come in Apple Valley
- 20161121 Voters show they want a say in water takeover issue (Hanson)
- 20161215 Another costly day for Apple Valley
- 20161218 Time to pay attention: An open letter to Larry Cusack
- 20170111 Claremont city manager getting a $21,000 bonus
- 20170114 Price tag for Claremont’s failed attempt to take over water system keeps rising
- 20170115 Our View: Time for foes to sit down and talk
- Time for the Town Council to listen for a change
- Response to Thomas Lecoq (Carloni)
- Time for a second opinion? (Carloni)
- 20170209 Avoiding the Claremont disaster (video)
- 20170213 Valley Voices: Apple Valley would be wise to work with Liberty Utilities (Wright)
- 20170216 James Belna on the Claremont eminent domain disaster (video)
- 20170220 Claremont resident talks [about] avoiding ‘disaster’ in Apple Valley
- 20170220 Conflict of interest
- 20170220 Letter: Response to Thomas Rice (Belna)
- 20170226 Letter: James Belna’s visit (Hanson)
- 20170226 Letter: Rice rebuttal (Trozpek)
- Claremont public records request
- Truth not tricks (Carloni)
- Comments to the Town Council opposing the ballot measure
- 20170314 Town Council meeting (McCarthy)
- 20170322 Skewing the facts (Hanson)
- 20170323 Letter: Sit down and settle (Henard)
- 20170406 Guest commentary: Government takeovers of water systems don’t deliver results — study
- Who pays?
- Responding to claims made on Facebook
- 20170508 Liberty Utilities radio ad — Claremont (audio)
- Not paying attention
- 20171010 Claremont reaches $4.8 million settlement agreement with Golden State Water
- 20171017 Claremont settlement reignites Apple Valley water war
- 20171026 Claremont cuts ties with its city attorney, law firm