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Our Very Special Water Districts
By Publius | February 25, 2008
Jennifer McLain’s article on local Water District expenditures is the real thing. Most people don’t even know what the heck a water district is, of course. Special districts often fly under the radar, and that leads to actions like these:
Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District board President Leon Garcia was paid $82,769 from July 2005 to July 2007 in meetings and travel. Expenses include a six-day trip to Hawaii and $1,155 for a stay at the Disneyland Hotel, 26 miles from Garcia’s home.
Willard Murray, director at the Water Replenishment District of Southern California was paid close to $90,000 in two years for attending meetings and for travel expenses that included a trip to Mexico City.
***
State Sen. Bob Margett, R-Glendora, who introduced legislation Friday requiring greater transparency in reporting expenses incurred by public agencies, said some directors are compensated as though their public service were a second job.“You’ve got to be sensitive to the taxpayer,” Margett said. “I don’t think the taxpayer would begrudge a person going to a conference. You just don’t want someone to abuse that.”
If those expenses anger you, McLain just revealed that board President Leon Garcia sent her an email begging her: “do not bother me anymore.”
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February 25th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Great to see the coverage on this issue….only the tip of the iceberg, hope there is more to come.
February 26th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I don’t know why this is a surprise to anyone. Politicians are almost all unethical and to think that those who “serve” on water boards are any less so is naive. The bottom line is that all political office holders should be true volunteers and receive no i.e. zero, compensation.
February 26th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Out of sight, out of (our) pocket.
Hope coverage keeps up. I wonder where the $$$ comes from for those big ads they take in the paper ass-kissing the local pols.
Mike
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:24 am
[…] letter to the editor in the SGVT: What an excellent article by Jennifer McLain on the abuses of taxpayer money by some officials of the Upper San Gabriel Municipal Water […]