Why does MWD continue to raise rates?

Drought-like conditions? Out of control employee costs?  Corruption?

The answer could be YES to all.

Your Fullerton City Council is about to approve passing the bill for these along to you, Fullerton water consumers.

Lending to the tails of MWD corruption, the Surf City Voice is offers further revelations into MWD's chairman, Jack Foley whose continued lack of ownership over his failure to disclose his income as well as his wife's income for consulting with water districts and related groups becomes public. 

It makes ratepayers like me very suspicious of "pass-through" rate hikes that are unsubstantiated by the City's own MWD and OCWD representatives.

With a recall election looming, I wonder what it will take to wake up Fullerton voters?

MWD Ethics Office A Complete Failure

Last year I wrote about Metropolitan Water District's $571,400 Ethics Office. 

We are now learning just how big of a colossal failure the Ethics Office is. 

The Surf City Voice is reporting that MWD Chairman Col. John V. Foley (ret.) didn't think he needed to disclose his wife's income from her consulting business Statement of Economic Interests or “700” form.  If she was consulting on something unrelated to water, maybe that wouldn't matter.  But Mrs. Foley was consulting directly and indirectly with MWD and member agencies.  That's a big conflict of interest.

Surf City Voice is reporting about $280,000 in unreported income.

If the number one man in charge of MWD doesn't recognize the need to report his wife's income, its time to find a new chairman and scrap the Ethics Office.   For Pete's sake, even Linda Ackerman, another MWD director, reports her husband's income.  Hubby Dick Ackerman is an attorney for Nossaman LLP which consults to MWD. 

The Surf City Voice wrote quite an amazing expose on the incestuous relationships of the water agencies and their many directors. 

In short, Orange County's water is dirty.  Very dirty.  And another $571,400 down the toilet. 

How much more has MWD tossed away for feel-good programs that line the pockets of friends and family?  How many more back-room deals have taken place?

Water District CEO Speaks His Mind

Wednesday I had the opportunity to listen to retired U.S. Army Colonel and MWD CEO Jack Foley speak to engineers and land surveyors at the monthly meeting for the Orange County Chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies.  Foley has an amazing and long resume that is impressive even to those not usually impressed by meaningless wallpaper.

Foley spoke for more than an hour focusing his attention on MWD and our water infrastructure.  One of Foley's admirable traits is his plain English.  He doesn't get caught up in a the absurd political correctness that I'm used to hearing at from public speakers.  Instead, Foley spoke from the heart and was crystal clear and it was appreciated. 

The environment was a large part of the retired colonel's sermon.  Unlike most CEOs who wring their hands and are "sensitive to the issue", Foley stands his ground unabashed.