Liberty Utilities (January 18, 2017)

I am amazed that so few understand the grand political fraud being perpetrated by the sale and resale of the Apple Valley water utility. And, just amazed that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) seems part of that fraud.

The water utility has been sold over and over again, each time for much more than the prior sale. Why? Because each time the utility was resold, the PUC has has approved rate hikes to ensure the new company would make a profit! Why has the commission approved rates far higher than other water districts in the region? Hint. Someone is getting money.

Privately held corporations do not have to report where their political contributions go, so we may never know who is peeling off utility customers’ money. But anyone with any sense whatsoever knows what’s going on. Smell a rat? I sure do.

So Liberty Utilities is just the most recent in that exploitive line. The CPUC has guaranteed their profitability, in part by charging customers for water NOT used. So they would like to peddle their monopoly to someone else and make another fat profit. So it is easy to understand how Liberty management could convince its stockholders to spend on PR to keep the sale and resale game going. And since the Democrat party, which appoints the majority of CPUC members, relies on such (contributions) to sustain power, we water customers can count on a repetition of this scam.

If the city doesn’t buy the utility through eminent domain, we can count on ever increasing rates for the water we must have to live a decent life. As a now-retired journalist, I helped put three people in prison. I have no illusions about the good intentions of politicians nor the avaricious policies of privately held corporations like Liberty. So I hope people will push the Apple Valley City Council to expedite the takeover of water services in our otherwise wonderful town. It is pretty much our only exit from this exploitive fame.

Thomas Lecoq, Apple Valley

Source: Daily Press