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Sunday’s front-page story about how in 1999 the California Public Employees’ Retirement System orchestrated the approval of a 50 percent retroactive pension increase for state employees amounts to an autopsy of a public-policy crime. It is literally incredible that CalPERS told the Legislature that such a huge gift of money would have little or no long-term cost to state taxpayers because the dot-com boom then driving the stock market sky-high would never end. It is also stunning that a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and Gov. Gray Davis accepted this fairy tale in approving SB 400.

 

For public agencies, one of the easiest things to do is to keep doing the same things the same way and keep your head down to avoid attention.That’s not what the San Diego County Water Authority does. It leans into the complexities inherent in natural resource issues, continually seeking opportunities and innovations that will serve the region’s ratepayers for decades to come. The Water Authority’s highest good is delivering a safe and reliable water supply at a reasonable cost, and it works toward that goal every day. That’s exactly what the public should expect – consistent day-in-and-day-out performance.

The Olivenhain Municipal Water District (OMWD) has seen the credit rating for its revenue bonds upgraded from AA+ to AAA with a stable outlook. Fitch Ratings, a global rating agency that offers independent credit opinions, cited historically high liquidity, manageable borrowing plans, conservative financial forecasting and equitable and disciplined rate-setting in making its upgrades. AAA is the highest possible rating assigned by Fitch and OMWD is one of only a handful of Southern California water agencies that have achieved this pinnacle of financial excellence.

August was record-breaking water consumption for the Yuima Municipal Water District, which serves a large part of Pauma Valley. It was the highest consumption of water since it formed in 1963.General Manager Lori Johnson said customers of the tiny district purchased a total of 1,095 acre-feet of water, the highest on record. Ninety seven percent of consumption in Yuima is for agricultural use and August historically is the hottest month. In August the District took maximum flows (16 cfs) from the San Diego County Water Authority.

 

The Aug. 23 meeting of the Rainbow Municipal Water District (MWD) board included a presentation on the district’s potential water reclamation plant and recycled water distribution system. Although the future infrastructure was a non-voting item, the board agreed with Rainbow staff’s recommendation that the various options should be evaluated in further detail. “The board gave direction to take the next phase, which is to do a high-level analysis,” said Rainbow general manager Tom Kennedy. In January 2015, the Rainbow board awarded a professional services contract to Atkins to update Rainbow’s water and wastewater master plans.