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Johnson, Moss, Mack, McSorley Seek Rainbow Board Seats

/in , , /by /Village Newsby Joe Naiman Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Two Rainbow Municipal Water District board seats will have contested elections this year. Hayden Hamilton was unopposed for a second term in the Division 2 seat. Helene Brazier is retiring as the Division 1 director and Rainbow committee members Julie Johnson and Pam Moss are seeking that seat. Current Division 5 board member Michael Mack is being challenged by current Vallecitos School District board member Kathy McSorley. Division 1 includes Morro Hills, Bonsall, and Vista Valley while Division 5 is in Rainbow and also covers new development projects east of Interstate 15

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Opinion: Connecting California: A New Water Party Could Break the Dam Gumming Up Our Politics

/in , /by /Desert Sunby Joe Mathews

I got one of those calls again — they come every six months — from a Silicon Valley hotshot who wants to use his brain and his wealth to fix what ails California. This investor asked the same old question: What measures might I put on the ballot to reform the state’s politics and governance?

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E.P.A. to Promote Lead Testing Rule as Trump Tries to Burnish His Record

/in , , /by /The New York Timesby Lisa Friedman

The Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to overhaul the way communities test their water for lead, a policy change that will be pitched ahead of Election Day as a major environmental achievement for a president not noted for his conservation record.

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Outcry from Environmental Groups Prompts San Diego to Retreat from Proposed Merger

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby David Garrick

Outcry from local environmental groups prompted San Diego officials Tuesday to retreat from plans to merge three longtime advisory boards that are focused on trees, marshland and green energy.

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Opinion: Ripple Effect – When Politics Ignores Science, it Jeopardizes Local Clean Water

/in , , /by /The Hillby Nathan Murphy

Nine states are suing the Environmental Protection Agency for “trying to use the current public health crisis to sweep environmental violations under the rug,” according to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

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Teresa Acosta Joins Race For Carlsbad City Council District 4

/in , /by /North Coast Current (Encinitas, Calif.) Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Carlsbad business owner Teresa Acosta announced June 12 that she is running for a seat on the City Council next year, the second non-incumbent in the race for District 4. Acosta joins Phil Urbina, who launched his campaign April 28. The 2020 election will be the second for Carlsbad under a new district-based system of representation. “I am passionate about living in Carlsbad and am running to put my experience, skills, and energies to work on the council to maintain our top-notch quality of life,” Acosta said in her announcement. “I will focus on key infrastructure issues, safe neighborhoods, environmental stewardship, and supporting our local small businesses.”

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David Bernhardt Confirmed As Interior Secretary Despite Ethics Concerns

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Anna M. Phillips and Bettina Boxall

David Bernhardt, President Trump’s pick to the lead the Interior Department, was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday amid persistent ethical concerns and doubts about his independence from the energy and water industry groups he long represented as a lobbyist. Senators voted 56-41 in favor of Bernhardt’s confirmation. Several Democrats crossed party lines to support the nominee, including Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico. Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, also voted for confirmation.

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OPINION: California’s Leaky Bucket Theory Of Public Improvement

/in , /by /The Orange County Registerby Jon Coupal

Unfortunately, Californians have come to expect significant levels of waste and incompetence when it comes to government programs. Just last week, we learned that the “new” $290 million computer system for the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration — in the works for over a decade — was having significant problems with tax filers trying to submit their quarterly returns. Despite California being home to Silicon Valley and the best high-tech minds on the planet, the State of California has a sorry history of failure when implementing big computer projects.

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Judge Clears Water Authority Delegates To Keep Meeting In Private

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Ricky Young Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

A judge has ruled in favor of the San Diego County Water Authority, dismissing a lawsuit by an open government group that wanted the agency to hold certain gatherings of its board members in public. The water authority sends delegates to the Metropolitan Water District, a large regional organization based in Los Angeles. The San Diego water authority delegates meet regularly with no public notice or access — a situation challenged by attorney Cory Briggs in a lawsuit in June 2017. He cited the state’s open meetings law, the Ralph M. Brown Act.

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OPINION: Don’t Just Blame The Meter Readers For San Diego’s Water Billing Scandal

/in , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune

A new report from City Auditor Eduardo Luna about erroneous water bills serves as a clear indictment of the city’s Public Utilities Department. It detailed how 2,750 water bills sent to residents in 2017 were incorrect, often by hundreds of dollars, and that the problem stemmed from mistakes made by the city’s 36 meter readers — 10 of whom were to blame for 71 percent of the errors. Luna’s audit noted that just in the month of December, one meter reader was responsible for about 330 mistakes. That person no longer works for the city, which is a relief.

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