Dear Editor,
The Santa Clara Valley Water District just does not get it.
Let’s put things into perspective.
The plain and very expensive truth about our ‘Taj Mahal’ water district
Dear Editor,
The Santa Clara Valley Water District just does not get it.
Let’s put things into perspective.
In 1996, the water district had 609 employees. That same year, the Central Valley Water Project charged the district $108 per acre foot for imported water, and the district charged us, the well owners $108 per acre foot that same year. For the next three years, these water rates stayed very much the same with only a dollar or two difference for the district and the well owner.
In 2001 the water district had 807 employees, that’s a 32.5 percent increase in just six years. Many of these new employees came from the dot-com lay offs and were paid inflated salaries. From 2001 to 2005 the employment at the district increased by only six, yet over that same time period our charge for pumping water from our own wells was increased by 74 percent and the increased cost to the water district for CVP water was only two dollars. In 2005, the water district charged us 105 percent over what they paid for the CVP water. Currently to date, the district has raised my water rate by 1,150 percent in the last 22 years. That averages out to 52 percent a year.
In 2007, the water district asked the residents in South County to reduce their water use by 10 percent. I reduced mine by more than 10 percent and you raised our water rates by 11 percent. Now, the District is asking us to reduce our water use by 15 percent, I can do that, but you are asking for another 3.6 percent increase.
Now that it has been brought to light in state court that the Santa Clara Valley Water District has violated section 26.3 of their District Act along with Proposition 218, how are you going to fund these various projects that have been mentioned? This is not the time to be asking for a raise in water rates. You need to cut back on unneeded projects and on your people count. Also, you should not be giving any salary increases to anyone currently working for the water district. The water district just can’t bring itself to let people go. Yet we the well owners have to support this massive employment due to the greed of the water district.
That is a strong word, but keep in mind that in 2002 and in 2003 the water district had more than $500,000,000 of unrestricted funds from us the rate payers.
Currently the average employee’s total compensation at the district is $138,000 and 38 percent of the employees at the district earn over $100,000 in salary. There are at least 12 who receive more than $200,000 a year in salary and benefits. The district is oblivious of these tough times that we are in.
For some reason, THEY JUST DON’T GET IT.
Robert Cerruti, San Martin
Oversight of Valley Transportation Authority a bad joke on taxpayers
Dear Editor,
Skeptics remember the Citizens Watchdog Committee appointed by the Valley Transportation Authority. The watchdogs were so lax that the VTA was judged worst transit agency in the nation in a study of all the nation’s transit agencies by the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
During the same time a county Grand Jury report blasted VTA’s directors for governance flaws, fiscal irresponsibility, and taxpayer abuse. And during that same time VTA rejected South County’s plea for median barriers on U.S. 101 between Morgan Hill and Gilroy because they “didn’t have the money.”
While pleading poorhouse on the safety issue, they transferred $52.6 million to their employee pension plans. After more deadly cross-over accidents, VTA “found” the money, and spent less than $2 million to install the barriers.
During the same watchfulness watchdogging by the citizens’ watchdog committee, VTA’s auditors found numerous abuses.
After ignoring MIT, the Grand Jury, and their own auditors, they had their own auditors audit and they confirmed what the outside auditors had said. Then VTA fired its General Manager, paying his Golden Parachute on the way out. The “new” GM, from San Francisco, where they really do know how to waste tax dollars, established “new VTA,” and there was no change in policy whatsoever.
And our leaders do absolutely nothing about this. We need to recall all the VTA directors to show them how pleased we are with their abusiveness and appointing phoney watchdogs.
Joe Thompson, Gilroy
