Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
March 11, 2008
5. Agencies, Programs, People
Bonnie Garcia: IID has acted recklessly
By Brianna Lusk, staff writer
Not having Coachella representation on the Imperial Irrigation District board equals “taxation without representation,” Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia said last week.
Garcia,
IID Directors James Hanks and John Pierre Menvielle equated the move to a “resource grab” and an attempt for Coachella to gain a foothold on water issues.
“I will fight tooth and nail to protect IID water rights,” Garcia said. “But on energy, clearly the growth shows they don’t meet a community utility definition.”
The debate began when IID went public earlier this month with what district officials call Garcia’s plan to change the structure of the board.
Officials said in a meeting with Garcia in January, they were urged to reform the board to add two additional members that would be voted on from the
Sixty percent of energy ratepayers under the IID umbrella are located in the
Garcia said district officials made up the number of two additional members and the issue comes down to ratepayer interests and a 100-year agreement IID has with the Coachella Valley Water District to provide power in the area.
“I don’t know if it is necessary to have two additional members … I don’t know if it is necessary to have 3 or 5 or 7. IID has acted recklessly over the last several years and have cost ratepayers millions of dollars,” Garcia said of the need for change.
She added she never gave IID a number of board members she would like to see added to the board.
“They pulled that number out of a hat,” she said.
THE HISTORY
At issue is the five-member board of directors that is the policy-making body over the energy and water sides of the IID.
IID started the energy department in the 1930s and an agreement was made between the CVWD and IID in 1934 for IID to provide energy in the north desert area.
The agreement expires in 2033, a deadline Garcia said IID needs to be planning for right now.
IID spokesman Kevin Kelley said the district will continue providing power to Coachella after 2033.
“In her raising the question of what happens after 2033, she’s underscoring IID’s position that CVWD does have a dog in the fight. IID entered into the agreement with CVWD,” Kelley said.
CVWD General Manager Steve Robbins has said the board will not take action or choose sides on the legislation issue.
Garcia contends IID needs to answer the question of what happens after 2033.
“This is an issue that is not going away,” Garcia said. “There is no plan. That’s why we’re here in 2008, a few years out ... that means we have to have a discussion with IID today.”
IID Director John Pierre Menvielle said the fight for Coachella representation is tied directly to CVWD.
With water an increasingly contentious issue, Menvielle said splitting water and power would be a harmful move for the ratepayers of both valleys.
“You can’t separate energy from water. They cross over. If you separate one from the other it would hurt the IID,” Menvielle said.
There has already been a commission set up more than 10 years ago to address the issue of representation called the Energy Consumers Advisory Committee.
The 20-member committee, half of which is
Kelley said IID is willing to restructure the ECAC to address Coachella ratepayers’ concerns.
“There’s ways to resolve the issue without changing the structure of the board,” Menvielle said. “It always helps to sit down and talk and have an open, honest discussion and see what the real concerns are with the Coachella people.”
POLITICAL OR SMART PROTOCOL?
Menvielle said Garcia is making a political move to set herself up to run for the senate in 2010 as she leaves office this year due to term limits.
“I think they’d be very foolish in trying to change something that seems to be working,” Menvielle said. “This is coming from her and her money interests. I think she’s playing to the people that are backing her run for senate.”
Garcia said she has heard from numerous ratepayers that have said they are concerned about where the district is headed and the idea that this is a political move is ludicrous.
“If I were an IID board member today I would be taking full responsibility for this, not running a ‘sky is falling’ campaign to cover my bad judgment,” Garcia said.
“It doesn’t have to do with putting additional members on the board. It’s making sure the IID is operating as intended.
And if not, realign what you’re doing.”
“This isn’t a fight. I represent both halves of the district. I have zero to gain,” Garcia said.
The change in legislation would mean a change in the water code, the laws under which the IID operates.
A change in the water code could also mean a change for other irrigation districts that provide power outside their area.
Garcia said she hopes the change does not have to come through legislation.
“This should not be legislated, it should be driven by the community,” Garcia said. #
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2008/03/11/local_news/news03.txt
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