FANTASTIC BREAKING NEWS: Golden State Water lost again!
 
  
 
First, Ojai won in lower court when Golden State Water sued to prevent Casitas Water from taking over the system. 
Second, GSW appealed that decision in appellate court and lost. 
 
Today, the State Supreme Court refused to hear GSW’s final appeal. Ojai and Claremont are now free to proceed against GSW. This is a huge blow to Golden State Water, and their high priced legal team. This is a very important result. 
 
Now if the majority of GSW customers in our Cowan Heights System truly want GSW gone, it can be done!
 
 
 
 May 6th Community Meeting Was A Success!
 
 
 
 
 
 
After a rate increase of 31% over the last three years and a now approved increase of 20 % for 2013, 14 and 15, it is no wonder that Golden State Water has lost the public's trust.
 
Fact... Golden State Water is a private, for profit water company. Their obligation is to deliver water, their primary goal is to maximize profit doing so. All they need is approval from the California Public Utilities Commission, CPUC.
 
Fact... The difference is Public water agencies cannot sell water, a necessity of life at a profit due to Proposition 218 which passed in 1996. 
 
Fact... Since 2000 our water rates have increased some 100%.
 
Fact... Golden State charges two to three times as much for water as any other water agency in our surrounding area.
 
Fact... If the current Golden State rate payers do not buy the local Golden State Water System, we as rate payers will continue to pay for all capital improvements made by Golden State. In addition we will pay Golden State 8%-10% guaranteed profit per year on the money used for capital improvements not only for our system, but for all GSW systems throughout Southern California. 
 
Fact... In the end, Golden State will still own the system. However by buying the system and having another water company operate it, as rate payers we will save the 8% -10% per year.
 
Fact... If our community of some 2400 water customers fails to understand and support FCA's effort to remove GSW from our community, then this one time opportunity will not only be lost, a great amount of money will continue to be paid to this monopoly called Golden State Water by all of us, with no end in sight.......We have a choice. Making the choice to support FCA also requires everyone to inform their neighbors, neighbors who are not yet aware that a serious effort is being done to obtain a replacement water company.
 
Fact... in time, the community will need to vote on this...it is important that everyone understands the issue.
 
Fact... The difference between today’s cost of Golden State’s water and a public water agencies cost of water to us will collectively provide millions of dollars to fund our takeover of the water system and make improvements as time goes by, improvements that have been ignored for decades.
 
Fact... The selected public agency will be able to deliver water with lower rates since there is no added profit to our water cost and due to a lower operating overhead. We as rate payers will no longer be at the mercy of Golden State Water and the California Public Utilities Commission, an unelected bureaucracy in San Francisco that sets rates with no representation from the local community.
 
Fact... In time GSW will attempt to tell us that this is not a good idea. To counter that, all that one needs to do is to look at the water bills. GSW can never be the low cost provider.
 
Fact... The actual cost of water will continue to go up for everyone. It’s just that GSW’s cost increases are way more than the actual increase in the basic cost of water.
 
Fact... A Water Rescue Bond (paid for only by current local Golden State rate payers) will pay for the election, legal expenses, the system and the capital improvements that will bring our regions Golden State system up to expected standards. 
 
Fact... There will be no cost to our new water agency or its present rate payers by operating our system.
 
Fact... Interest on the Water Rescue Bond may qualify as a State & Federal tax deduction, but our Golden State water bill can never be a write off. 
 
Fact... In 30 years or less the Water Rescue Bond will be paid off. We and those who follow will then only pay the low local water rates. 
 
The FCA Stop the Rip-Off Committee encourages rate payers to check out the savings themselves by going to the link in this Web Site and entering your Golden State water usage by CCF's (found, top of a page on your Golden State Water bill, in small print). 
Select Monthly Bill Calculator Enter Bi-monthly, pumped, or gravity. (in the hills it is pumped) Enter the monthly CCF’s (from the water bill) Total and compare to your water bill. 
 
Fact... The difference between what we pay Golden State today and what we will pay the selected water agency is what will be used to buy Golden State. It’s that simple! Fact...Since we will no longer be subject to GSW outrageous rate increases year after year, this will be additional savings. And over time, will result in a large amount of saved dollars.
 
Fact... The Foothill Communities Association's goal, with the very important wide support of the community and the eventual help of a local public water agency, is to permanently remove GSW from our community, with water then supplied to us by that local water agency.
 
JLS for FCA