ARTICLES
5/16/18 - The CPUC will immediately be audited by the California State Auditor regarding water rates. https://scvnews.com/2018/05/18/wilk-lackey-puc-water-rate-audit-okd-by-legislature/
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Outrageous rate increases are a systemic problem throughout California that the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) has created by not doing their job. 10 minute video.
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~~~SJWC ARTICLES, TV REPORTS~~~
ADDED 9/15/18 - State launches investigation into San Jose Water over-billing claims. The California Public Utilities Commission will formally investigate the company.
Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: September 14, 2018 at 2:46 pm | UPDATED: September 14, 2018 at 7:20 pm
ADDED 9/15/18 - CPUC PRESS RELEASE, Docket #: I.18-09-003 - CPUC TO INVESTIGATE SAN JOSE WATER’S BILLING PRACTICES
ADDED 9/16/18 - California Public Utilities Commission Investigates San Jose Water Billing PracticesBay City News Service Published 8:21 pm PDT, Friday, September 14, 2018
ADDED 9/16/18 - California commission takes up over-billing by San Jose Water
By: Associated Press Posted: Sep 15, 2018 11:05 AM PDT
ADDED 3/19/18 - Consumers Up Against Lobbyists in Fight over San Jose Water Company’s Proposed Rate Hike - The investor-owned utility, which overbilled ratepayers by at least $1.8 million last year, asked the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to let it boost returns on infrastructure investment from 9.43 percent to 10.75 percent. But Administrative Law Court Judge Karl Bemesderfer weighed that request against testimony from ratepayer advocates and, in a Feb. 6 ruling, deemed 8.3 percent a more reasonable rate. by San Jose Inside, December 14, 2017 San Jose Inside, Jennifer Wadsworth
ADDED 3/19/18 - SJWC MERGER WITH CONNECTICUT WATER SERVICE; SJWC has announced an all stock merger with Connecticut Water Services (CTWS). This will make SJWC the third largest in the Nation serving 1.5 million people. The new CEO, Eric Thornburg, was CEO of CTWS before becoming SJW CEO. He stated that this merger will lower their Cost of Capital. This merger seems like information the CPUC should have known about in the Cost of Capital proceedings. If the CEO himself is saying that this merger will lower their Cost of Capital and SJWC has been vigorously fighting for higher Cost of Capital returns, this appears disingenuous at best. SJWC carries a debt of $431.1M and SJW will assume $255.2M of CTWS’ debt.
https://marketexclusive.com/sjw-group-nysesjw-files-an-8-k-entry-into-a-material-definitive-agreement/2018/03/
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4157565-thoughts-san-jose-water-connecticut-water-merger?auth_param=1djdcs:1davq50:c3fd7b787a081aca136a4ff035d299ee&uprof=45&dr=1
ADDED 3/19/18 - NEWS ALERT: Coalition for CPUC Water Rates Reform Release on Receipt, March 13, 2018. Stage set for clash between public, water monopolies at CPUC
Look for Rate Cuts in Your Auto/Homeowner’s Insurance Coming Soon - By Ralph Nader, January 25, 2018
Center for Economic Justice and Consumer Federation of America joint letter - Immediate Rate Reductions Needed Now to Reflect Lower Federal Taxes Resulting in Excessive Profit Provisions in Current Rates, January 23,2018
San Jose Water Customers Voice Frustrations over Billing Spikes - San Jose Water customers have complained about drastic spikes in their water bill. by San Jose Inside, Camille Miller, January 24, 2018
Op-Ed: CPUC Quietly Changes Mission Statement to Remove Wording on ‘Reasonable Rates’
December 14, 2017 San Jose Inside, Jennifer Wadsworth - By Rita Benton
*MUST READ* - H2O Watchdogs Catch San Jose Water Co. Overbilling Customers - John Tang, VP of government relations and corporate communications at San Jose Water, conceded that ratepayers were charged more than they owed. “Rita’s interpreting the issue as an overbilling,” says Ackemann, newly hired SJWC spokesflack who corrected Tang not to even refer to the charges with that term. “That is, in our view, not a reflection of what it was. The tariff allows us to treat the service charge in a certain fashion, and when the issue was brought to our attention, we addressed it. But we’re still in compliance with past practice.”
However, the state’s Office of Ratepayer Advocates (ORA)—a part advisory, part watchdog agency under the aegis of the CPUC—insists that the oversight merits an independent audit. On June 23, ORA Program Manager Richard Smith urged the CPUC to reject San Jose Water’s advice letter because it “appears to raise significant policy questions and to be highly controversial.
“The fact that multiple customers were overcharged is undisputed,” Smith continued. “However, the cause(s) and magnitude of the overcharges remain unresolved by the [CPUC] and should be examined with an evidentiary record.”
July 19, 2017, By Jennifer Wadsworth, Metro/SanjoseInside
*MUST WATCH* - San Jose Water Company Called Out For Overcharging Customers - “They [customers] paid a rate that was not in effect at the time they were billed,” Tang said.
July 19, 2017 By Len Ramirez, CBS SF Bay Area KPIX5
*MUST WATCH* - South Bay Water Customers Overbilled, Will Get Refunds - The California's Public Utilities Commission is investigating the issue. "Right now, they're bilking us," said customer Rita Benton, who is a San Jose Water Co. customer and is fed up with what she says are unnecessary high rates and billing mistakes."They're not even acknowledging there's a double billing involved when you switch from billing in advance to billing in arrears."NBC Bay Area, July 20, 2017, Rick Boone
*MUST WATCH* NBC Bay Area - SJ Public Utility Keeps Some Spending Private A big Bay Area public utility wants to raise your rates but doesn't want to show you how it's spending some of your money.
By Tony Kovaleski, Julie Putnam and Mark Villarreal
Published Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012
11/1/17 Article - Hearing Set as San Jose Water Company Requests Rate Hike; Overbilling Questions Still Linger. CPUC will host a public hearing at City Hall on Monday, as SJWC is petitioning for an increase in its cost of capital and rate of return for infrastructure projects through 2020. If the CPUC approves the petition, San Jose Water would see an overall increase in revenues of nearly $7.6 million, which would cost the average customer about $2.14 more per month (or $4.28 per bimonthly billing cycle). “By attending the CPUC hearing on Monday, the customers of SJWC will finally have a chance to speak, on the record, to the CPUC decision makers to let them know that we have had enough of SJWC’s outrageous rate increases,” Benton told San Jose Inside. “We will actually see a reduction in our water rates come January if the CPUC lowers SJWC’s investment returns.” By Jennifer Wadsworth, Metro/SanjoseInside
Cupertino City Council postpones water rate increase - The city council has postponed a 3.8 percent water rate increase for Cupertino Municipal Water System customers, saying that more time is needed to discern how Cupertino’s water rates compare with other locations under San Jose Water Company.
KRISTI MYLLENBECK | [email protected] |
PUBLISHED: March 3, 2017 at 11:55 am | UPDATED: March 6, 2017 at 11:27 am
San Jose Water Company drops drought surcharges - The private company announced the change Wednesday, making it the last large water provider in the Bay Area to suspend fines and penalties for excessive water use.By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected] |
PUBLISHED: February 2, 2017 at 11:30 am | UPDATED: February 3, 2017 at 3:17 am
San Jose Water Co. celebrates 150th anniversary with Guadalupe River Park gift. SJWC donated $150,000 for 4 sculptures in park. Eric Tang was one model used for the artwork. Could this be John Tang's son?http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/11/18/pizarro-san-jose-water-co-celebrates-150th-anniversary-with-guadalupe-river-park-gift/
By SAL PIZARRO | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: November 18, 2016 at 6:18 pm | UPDATED: November 19, 2016 at 11:59 am
Los Gatos: Angry residents storm out of water meeting - http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/11/17/los-gatos-angry-residents-storm-out-of-water-meeting/
By JUDY PETERSON | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: November 17, 2016
San Jose Water Co. bills draw critics - http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/11/12/san-jose-water-co-bills-draw-critics/
An online petition calling rates "outrageous" has gathered more than 4,700 signatures
The Mercury News -by SCOTT HERHOLD | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: November 12, 2016 at 9:00 am | UPDATED: November 12, 2016 at 3:02 pm
Insurance Solicitations from SJW/Home Emergency Insurance Solutions - offering to insure outside water pipes for the bargain-basement price. It seemed to have the endorsement of San Jose Water.
The Mercury News - Herhold: Examine that water pipe insurance pitch carefully
by Scott Herhold, Published:August 12, 2016
The Mercury News (Los Gatos Weekly) - South Bay residents cry water foul over rates and allocations
By JUDY PETERSON | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: September 29, 2016 at 7:01 am | UPDATED: September 29, 2016 at 7:15 am
NBC TV - Rate Hike Shocks South Bay Water Customers
By Marianne Favro Published Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016
The Mercury News - Cupertino water customers to see increased rates
By KRISTI MYLLENBECK | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: September 9, 2016 at 2:11 pm | UPDATED: September 12, 2016 at 11:16 am
The Mercury News - Saratoga: Residents voice concerns over high water bills
By KHALIDA SARWARI | ksarwari@bayareanewsgroup.com
PUBLISHED: August 24, 2016 at 12:04 pm | UPDATED: September 5, 2016 at 4:34 pm
The Mercury News - Restrictions, conservation targets continuing for San Jose Water Company customers
By KRISTI MYLLENBECK | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: July 28, 2016 at 2:02 pm | UPDATED: August 11, 2016 at 10:50 pm
*MUST READ* The Mercury News - San Jose Water Co. drought rules upheld by state regulators
By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: February 25, 2016 at 9:22 am | UPDATED: August 11, 2016 at 11:11 pm
KRON 4 News - San Jose water company implements new rules
Published: June 15, 2015, 9:19 pm Updated: June 15, 2015, 9:20 pm
The Mercury News - San Jose Water Company to allow extra drought allocations for larger families
By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: May 27, 2015 at 7:27 am | UPDATED: August 12, 2016 at 3:10 am
SAN JOSE (KGO) - SAN JOSE WATER COMPANY UNVEILS PLAN FOR MANDATORY WATER RATIONING
By David Louie
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
The Mercury News - San Jose Water customers to face big rate increase
By GEORGE AVALOS | [email protected]
August 14, 2014 at 4:44 am
California Water Association - CWA and San Jose Water Company Respond to San Jose Mercury News Editorial as “Missing the Mark”
Posted on Aug 29, 2014
The Mercury News - Mercury News editorial: Water limits should apply to all users
By MERCURY NEWS EDITORIAL
July 10, 2014 at 8:41 am
Growth of large private water companies brings higher water rates, little recourse for consumersOne Henderson County community has hosted bake sales and chili suppers to raise money to fight SouthWest's proposed 50 percent water rate increase s. In Comal County, customers have been asked to donate money to protest SJW Corp.'s proposed 71 percent rate increase — its third in three years, said community leader Geoff Miller.
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
1:15 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011
~~~CPUC ARTICLES~~~
ADDED 5/4/17 - Our View: Transparency sorely lacking at CPUC and in Sacramento - The CPUC agrees with the California State Auditors Report recommendation regarding Public Records Act, yet this article was written on April 26, 2017 stating that the CPUC so far has refused the request to release records, even though a San Francisco Superior Court judge accused it of stonewalling...
Daily Press April 26, 2017
CA lawmakers plot CPUC’s demise - Under a new proposal put forth by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, the new chairman of the Committee on Utilities and Commerce, the CPUC — long under fire for alleged lapses and mismanagement — “would be broken apart with many of its duties distributed to other state agencies,” U-T San Diego reported. Gatto, the paper detailed, “would place an initiative before voters as soon as November that would remove the commission’s regulatory authority from the California Constitution, effective July 1, 2018.” calwatchdog.com Feb, 2016 by James Poulos
The PUC Papers - https://pucpapers.org/pages-from-investor-control-1200-2200-2/ - The California Public Utilities Commission corruption scandal has resulted in hundreds of thousands of documents being put into the public domain through the Public Records Act. This website, published by nonprofit Consumer Watchdog’s Capitol Watchdog project, allows you to search through these documents to expose new webs of corruption between state energy regulators and the energy industry they regulate.
The Mercury News Editorial - PUC needs members on public's side - Gov. Jerry Brown has a golden opportunity to name two new commissioners to the California Public Utility Commission who will make safety and the public's interest their top priority. This was published in the paper, but I have not been able to find it online. I have contacted the editorial writers but have not received a response yet.
editorial writer: Barbara J. Marshman, Sharon Ryan
PUBLISHED: December 22, 2016
ORA’s Report and Recommendations on the RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF SAN JOSE WATER COMPANY Test Year 2016 and Escalation Years 2017 and 2018
Santa Cruz Sentinel - PUC reform not yet kaput Pressure to overhaul the PUC has intensified after several key reforms came up short.By George Avalos, Bay Area News Group
POSTED: 09/28/16, 6:43 PM PDT
The Mercury News - Editorial: PUC, Picker still acting in secret Restoring public trust in the California Public Utilities Commission should have been Michael Picker’s primary mission when he was appointed president by Gov. Jerry Brown nearly two years ago.
By MERCURY NEWS EDITORIAL BOARD
PUBLISHED: September 26, 2016 at 3:13 pm | UPDATED: September 26, 2016 at 3:13 pm
Mercury News editorial: PUC desperately needs reforms -Sandoval and Florio should have been standing up for the public’s interest all along. It’s the Public Utilities Commission, after all, not the Pro-Utilities Commission. Instead, they allowed or enabled it to turn away from its basic mission.://www.mercurynews.com/2016/06/30/mercury-news-editorial-puc-desperately-needs-reforms/
By MERCURY NEWS EDITORIAL
PUBLISHED: June 30, 2016 at 7:40 am | UPDATED: August 11, 2016 at 10:57 pm
Critics Say Gov. Brown Isn’t Delivering on Reform at Troubled CPUC - https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/17/questions-over-jerry-brown-commitment-to-CPUC-reform/
By Lisa Pickoff-White and Marisa Lagos
DECEMBER 17, 2015
~~~DROUGHT ARTICLES~~~
California Drought Monitor
San Jose: Flood warning for Coyote Creek - By MARK GOMEZ | [email protected] |
PUBLISHED: February 21, 2017 at 5:23 am | UPDATED: February 22, 2017 at 8:31 am
For Tax Raisers, End of Drought Is Bad News - https://www.hjta.org/california-commentary/for-tax-raisers-end-of-drought-is-bad-news/
Jon Coupal Jan 22, 2017
The Mercury News - California storms: State to keep conservation rules for now - http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/17/california-drought-state-to-keep-modest-conservation-rules-for-now/The bottom line: Communities across California that dropped strict watering rules, fines and other penalties this fall will not have to reimpose them, and areas that kept rules in place due to tight supplies are likely to keep them in the short term, although in some cases they may drop drought rules if they can demonstrate that recent rains filled their reservoirs and brought their local conditions back to normal.
By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected] |
PUBLISHED: January 17, 2017 at 3:50 pm | UPDATED: January 20, 2017 at 7:38 am
The Mercury News - Big storms end drought across much of Northern California - http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/12/big-storms-end-drought-across-much-of-northern-california/ - “Some people are saying you have to wait until April 1, but this is what conditions are now. It’s not a forecast. The drought’s over in Northern California,” said David Miskus, a senior meteorologist with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center in Maryland who wrote the report.By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected] |
PUBLISHED: January 12, 2017 at 5:52 am | UPDATED: January 13, 2017 at 3:05 am
Two-minute film clip of Lexington Reservoir drone flyover after January storms - https://vimeo.com/199194213
The Mercury News - Is California’s drought ending? Powerful storms, more on the way - http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/03/california-drought-first-snow-survey-of-the-year-tuesday-as-big-storms-forecast/
By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: January 3, 2017 at 10:42 am | UPDATED: January 6, 2017 at 9:30 am
East Bay Times - California drought: 84 percent of water agencies choose zero as conservation target
By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: August 16, 2016 at 4:24 pm | UPDATED: August 24, 2016 at 7:35 am
MEET THE CALIFORNIA COUPLE WHO USES MORE WATER THAN EVERY HOME IN LOS ANGELES COMBINED
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/04/lynda-stewart-resnick-california-water
Josh Harkinson, Aug 9, 2016
The Mercury News - Californians continue water conservation with 21.5 percent cut despite relaxed drought rules
By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: August 2, 2016 at 3:58 am | UPDATED: August 11, 2016 at 10:52 pm
The Mercury News - California drought: San Jose declares water shortage, but won’t fine wasters
By MIKE ROSENBERG
PUBLISHED: August 26, 2014 at 10:22 am | UPDATED: August 12, 2016 at 8:27 am
The Mercury News - California water projects rely on imaginary water - http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/12/27/keats-california-water-projects-are-based-on-imaginary-water/
By ADAM KEATS
PUBLISHED: December 27, 2016 at 8:00 am | UPDATED: December 27, 2016 at 8:20 am
~~~SCVWD ARTICLES and BOARD MEETINGS~~~
SCVWD Board of Directors Meeting 12/13/16 VIDEO. Skip to Agenda Item 5.1 for discussion on rate increases - http://scvwd.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=1398
http://www.sanjoseinside.com/tag/santaclaravalleywaterdistrict/ - Articles written by San Jose Inside about SCVWD
Water District Staff Gets Testy, Defends RMC Deal that Will Cost $103 Million, Offer Little Benefit - The Santa Clara Valley Water District’s board of directors signed off on a $5 million deal for RMC Water and Environment. This is the same company the board wanted to audit late last year—and still has yet to do—after Metro’s reporting brought to light several conflicts of interest, a district manager accusing RMC of theft and the district’s former CEO, Beau Goldie, breaking agency bylaws to give away more taxpayer money. - http://www.sanjoseinside.com/2016/11/30/water-district-staff-defends-rmc-deal-that-will-cost-taxpayers-103-million-offers-little-benefit/
San Jose Inside -By The Fly/ November 30, 2016
Despite Water District Board’s Calls for Audit, RMC to Receive $5.2 Million Contract Extension - The Santa Clara Valley Water District signed off on a $5.2 million contract extension with RMC, a company with well-documented conflicts of interests.http://www.sanjoseinside.com/2016/11/08/despite-water-district-boards-calls-for-audit-rmc-to-receive-5-2-million-contract-extension/
San Jose Inside - By Josh Koehn @josh_koehn/ November 8, 2016
Silicon Valley Law Group Wins Multi-Million Dollar Judgment against The Santa Clara Valley Water District over Illegal Water Charges - http://www.svlg.com/svlg-wins-multi-million-dollar-judgment-against-the-santa-clara.html
The Mercury News - Despite drought, Bay Area water district executives reap generous pay
By DANIEL J. WILLIS and THOMAS PEELE | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: March 14, 2015 at 10:20 am | UPDATED: August 12, 2016 at 2:50 am
~~~INVESTOR OWNED UTILITY ARTICLES~~~
In American Towns, Private Profits From Public Works - In one measure of residents’ distress, people are falling so far behind on their bills that the city is placing more liens against their homes, which can eventually lead to foreclosures. - http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/24/business/dealbook/private-equity-water.html?_r=0
New York Times - By DANIELLE IVORY, BEN PROTESS and GRIFF PALMER DEC. 24, 2016
~~~WEBSITES, YOUTUBE VIDEOS, BLOGS, and FACEBOOK PAGES~~~
Youtube video of 1/23/13 Meeting Featuring CA Senator Jim Beall, SJ Council Member Xavier Campos & CA Division of Rate Payer Advocates discussing 44% rate increase request from SJWC.
https://youtu.be/GL5dm5TYTe8
Youtube video - Oppose SJWC 44% Rate Increase
https://youtu.be/AtX-1rhGNhE
PUSHBACK-ON-SJWC FACEBOOK PAGE - https://www.facebook.com/PushBack-on-SJWC-354639318245219
Follow James Hunter's blog - San Jose Water Company (SJWC) Rate Increase
http://sjwc-rate-increase.blogspot.com
~~~PROPOSITION 218~~~
What is Proposition 218? - http://www.californiataxdata.com/pdf/proposition218.pdf
Understanding Propostion 218 - http://www.lao.ca.gov/1996/120196_prop_218/understanding_prop218_1296.html#chapter5
WATER RATES UNDER PROP. 218 - http://www.hjta.org/propositions/proposition-218/water-rates-under-proposition-218/
California Proposition 218, Voter Approval Required Before Local Tax Increases (1996) -
https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_218,_Voter_Approval_Required_Before_Local_Tax_Increases_(1996)
ADDED 9/15/18 - State launches investigation into San Jose Water over-billing claims. The California Public Utilities Commission will formally investigate the company.
Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: September 14, 2018 at 2:46 pm | UPDATED: September 14, 2018 at 7:20 pm
ADDED 9/15/18 - CPUC PRESS RELEASE, Docket #: I.18-09-003 - CPUC TO INVESTIGATE SAN JOSE WATER’S BILLING PRACTICES
ADDED 9/16/18 - California Public Utilities Commission Investigates San Jose Water Billing PracticesBay City News Service Published 8:21 pm PDT, Friday, September 14, 2018
ADDED 9/16/18 - California commission takes up over-billing by San Jose Water
By: Associated Press Posted: Sep 15, 2018 11:05 AM PDT
ADDED 3/19/18 - Consumers Up Against Lobbyists in Fight over San Jose Water Company’s Proposed Rate Hike - The investor-owned utility, which overbilled ratepayers by at least $1.8 million last year, asked the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to let it boost returns on infrastructure investment from 9.43 percent to 10.75 percent. But Administrative Law Court Judge Karl Bemesderfer weighed that request against testimony from ratepayer advocates and, in a Feb. 6 ruling, deemed 8.3 percent a more reasonable rate. by San Jose Inside, December 14, 2017 San Jose Inside, Jennifer Wadsworth
ADDED 3/19/18 - SJWC MERGER WITH CONNECTICUT WATER SERVICE; SJWC has announced an all stock merger with Connecticut Water Services (CTWS). This will make SJWC the third largest in the Nation serving 1.5 million people. The new CEO, Eric Thornburg, was CEO of CTWS before becoming SJW CEO. He stated that this merger will lower their Cost of Capital. This merger seems like information the CPUC should have known about in the Cost of Capital proceedings. If the CEO himself is saying that this merger will lower their Cost of Capital and SJWC has been vigorously fighting for higher Cost of Capital returns, this appears disingenuous at best. SJWC carries a debt of $431.1M and SJW will assume $255.2M of CTWS’ debt.
https://marketexclusive.com/sjw-group-nysesjw-files-an-8-k-entry-into-a-material-definitive-agreement/2018/03/
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4157565-thoughts-san-jose-water-connecticut-water-merger?auth_param=1djdcs:1davq50:c3fd7b787a081aca136a4ff035d299ee&uprof=45&dr=1
ADDED 3/19/18 - NEWS ALERT: Coalition for CPUC Water Rates Reform Release on Receipt, March 13, 2018. Stage set for clash between public, water monopolies at CPUC
Look for Rate Cuts in Your Auto/Homeowner’s Insurance Coming Soon - By Ralph Nader, January 25, 2018
Center for Economic Justice and Consumer Federation of America joint letter - Immediate Rate Reductions Needed Now to Reflect Lower Federal Taxes Resulting in Excessive Profit Provisions in Current Rates, January 23,2018
San Jose Water Customers Voice Frustrations over Billing Spikes - San Jose Water customers have complained about drastic spikes in their water bill. by San Jose Inside, Camille Miller, January 24, 2018
Op-Ed: CPUC Quietly Changes Mission Statement to Remove Wording on ‘Reasonable Rates’
December 14, 2017 San Jose Inside, Jennifer Wadsworth - By Rita Benton
*MUST READ* - H2O Watchdogs Catch San Jose Water Co. Overbilling Customers - John Tang, VP of government relations and corporate communications at San Jose Water, conceded that ratepayers were charged more than they owed. “Rita’s interpreting the issue as an overbilling,” says Ackemann, newly hired SJWC spokesflack who corrected Tang not to even refer to the charges with that term. “That is, in our view, not a reflection of what it was. The tariff allows us to treat the service charge in a certain fashion, and when the issue was brought to our attention, we addressed it. But we’re still in compliance with past practice.”
However, the state’s Office of Ratepayer Advocates (ORA)—a part advisory, part watchdog agency under the aegis of the CPUC—insists that the oversight merits an independent audit. On June 23, ORA Program Manager Richard Smith urged the CPUC to reject San Jose Water’s advice letter because it “appears to raise significant policy questions and to be highly controversial.
“The fact that multiple customers were overcharged is undisputed,” Smith continued. “However, the cause(s) and magnitude of the overcharges remain unresolved by the [CPUC] and should be examined with an evidentiary record.”
July 19, 2017, By Jennifer Wadsworth, Metro/SanjoseInside
*MUST WATCH* - San Jose Water Company Called Out For Overcharging Customers - “They [customers] paid a rate that was not in effect at the time they were billed,” Tang said.
July 19, 2017 By Len Ramirez, CBS SF Bay Area KPIX5
*MUST WATCH* - South Bay Water Customers Overbilled, Will Get Refunds - The California's Public Utilities Commission is investigating the issue. "Right now, they're bilking us," said customer Rita Benton, who is a San Jose Water Co. customer and is fed up with what she says are unnecessary high rates and billing mistakes."They're not even acknowledging there's a double billing involved when you switch from billing in advance to billing in arrears."NBC Bay Area, July 20, 2017, Rick Boone
*MUST WATCH* NBC Bay Area - SJ Public Utility Keeps Some Spending Private A big Bay Area public utility wants to raise your rates but doesn't want to show you how it's spending some of your money.
By Tony Kovaleski, Julie Putnam and Mark Villarreal
Published Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012
11/1/17 Article - Hearing Set as San Jose Water Company Requests Rate Hike; Overbilling Questions Still Linger. CPUC will host a public hearing at City Hall on Monday, as SJWC is petitioning for an increase in its cost of capital and rate of return for infrastructure projects through 2020. If the CPUC approves the petition, San Jose Water would see an overall increase in revenues of nearly $7.6 million, which would cost the average customer about $2.14 more per month (or $4.28 per bimonthly billing cycle). “By attending the CPUC hearing on Monday, the customers of SJWC will finally have a chance to speak, on the record, to the CPUC decision makers to let them know that we have had enough of SJWC’s outrageous rate increases,” Benton told San Jose Inside. “We will actually see a reduction in our water rates come January if the CPUC lowers SJWC’s investment returns.” By Jennifer Wadsworth, Metro/SanjoseInside
Cupertino City Council postpones water rate increase - The city council has postponed a 3.8 percent water rate increase for Cupertino Municipal Water System customers, saying that more time is needed to discern how Cupertino’s water rates compare with other locations under San Jose Water Company.
KRISTI MYLLENBECK | [email protected] |
PUBLISHED: March 3, 2017 at 11:55 am | UPDATED: March 6, 2017 at 11:27 am
San Jose Water Company drops drought surcharges - The private company announced the change Wednesday, making it the last large water provider in the Bay Area to suspend fines and penalties for excessive water use.By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected] |
PUBLISHED: February 2, 2017 at 11:30 am | UPDATED: February 3, 2017 at 3:17 am
San Jose Water Co. celebrates 150th anniversary with Guadalupe River Park gift. SJWC donated $150,000 for 4 sculptures in park. Eric Tang was one model used for the artwork. Could this be John Tang's son?http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/11/18/pizarro-san-jose-water-co-celebrates-150th-anniversary-with-guadalupe-river-park-gift/
By SAL PIZARRO | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: November 18, 2016 at 6:18 pm | UPDATED: November 19, 2016 at 11:59 am
Los Gatos: Angry residents storm out of water meeting - http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/11/17/los-gatos-angry-residents-storm-out-of-water-meeting/
By JUDY PETERSON | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: November 17, 2016
San Jose Water Co. bills draw critics - http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/11/12/san-jose-water-co-bills-draw-critics/
An online petition calling rates "outrageous" has gathered more than 4,700 signatures
The Mercury News -by SCOTT HERHOLD | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: November 12, 2016 at 9:00 am | UPDATED: November 12, 2016 at 3:02 pm
Insurance Solicitations from SJW/Home Emergency Insurance Solutions - offering to insure outside water pipes for the bargain-basement price. It seemed to have the endorsement of San Jose Water.
The Mercury News - Herhold: Examine that water pipe insurance pitch carefully
by Scott Herhold, Published:August 12, 2016
The Mercury News (Los Gatos Weekly) - South Bay residents cry water foul over rates and allocations
By JUDY PETERSON | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: September 29, 2016 at 7:01 am | UPDATED: September 29, 2016 at 7:15 am
NBC TV - Rate Hike Shocks South Bay Water Customers
By Marianne Favro Published Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016
The Mercury News - Cupertino water customers to see increased rates
By KRISTI MYLLENBECK | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: September 9, 2016 at 2:11 pm | UPDATED: September 12, 2016 at 11:16 am
The Mercury News - Saratoga: Residents voice concerns over high water bills
By KHALIDA SARWARI | ksarwari@bayareanewsgroup.com
PUBLISHED: August 24, 2016 at 12:04 pm | UPDATED: September 5, 2016 at 4:34 pm
The Mercury News - Restrictions, conservation targets continuing for San Jose Water Company customers
By KRISTI MYLLENBECK | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: July 28, 2016 at 2:02 pm | UPDATED: August 11, 2016 at 10:50 pm
*MUST READ* The Mercury News - San Jose Water Co. drought rules upheld by state regulators
By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: February 25, 2016 at 9:22 am | UPDATED: August 11, 2016 at 11:11 pm
KRON 4 News - San Jose water company implements new rules
Published: June 15, 2015, 9:19 pm Updated: June 15, 2015, 9:20 pm
The Mercury News - San Jose Water Company to allow extra drought allocations for larger families
By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: May 27, 2015 at 7:27 am | UPDATED: August 12, 2016 at 3:10 am
SAN JOSE (KGO) - SAN JOSE WATER COMPANY UNVEILS PLAN FOR MANDATORY WATER RATIONING
By David Louie
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
The Mercury News - San Jose Water customers to face big rate increase
By GEORGE AVALOS | [email protected]
August 14, 2014 at 4:44 am
California Water Association - CWA and San Jose Water Company Respond to San Jose Mercury News Editorial as “Missing the Mark”
Posted on Aug 29, 2014
The Mercury News - Mercury News editorial: Water limits should apply to all users
By MERCURY NEWS EDITORIAL
July 10, 2014 at 8:41 am
Growth of large private water companies brings higher water rates, little recourse for consumersOne Henderson County community has hosted bake sales and chili suppers to raise money to fight SouthWest's proposed 50 percent water rate increase s. In Comal County, customers have been asked to donate money to protest SJW Corp.'s proposed 71 percent rate increase — its third in three years, said community leader Geoff Miller.
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
1:15 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011
~~~CPUC ARTICLES~~~
ADDED 5/4/17 - Our View: Transparency sorely lacking at CPUC and in Sacramento - The CPUC agrees with the California State Auditors Report recommendation regarding Public Records Act, yet this article was written on April 26, 2017 stating that the CPUC so far has refused the request to release records, even though a San Francisco Superior Court judge accused it of stonewalling...
Daily Press April 26, 2017
CA lawmakers plot CPUC’s demise - Under a new proposal put forth by Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Glendale, the new chairman of the Committee on Utilities and Commerce, the CPUC — long under fire for alleged lapses and mismanagement — “would be broken apart with many of its duties distributed to other state agencies,” U-T San Diego reported. Gatto, the paper detailed, “would place an initiative before voters as soon as November that would remove the commission’s regulatory authority from the California Constitution, effective July 1, 2018.” calwatchdog.com Feb, 2016 by James Poulos
The PUC Papers - https://pucpapers.org/pages-from-investor-control-1200-2200-2/ - The California Public Utilities Commission corruption scandal has resulted in hundreds of thousands of documents being put into the public domain through the Public Records Act. This website, published by nonprofit Consumer Watchdog’s Capitol Watchdog project, allows you to search through these documents to expose new webs of corruption between state energy regulators and the energy industry they regulate.
The Mercury News Editorial - PUC needs members on public's side - Gov. Jerry Brown has a golden opportunity to name two new commissioners to the California Public Utility Commission who will make safety and the public's interest their top priority. This was published in the paper, but I have not been able to find it online. I have contacted the editorial writers but have not received a response yet.
editorial writer: Barbara J. Marshman, Sharon Ryan
PUBLISHED: December 22, 2016
ORA’s Report and Recommendations on the RESULTS OF OPERATIONS OF SAN JOSE WATER COMPANY Test Year 2016 and Escalation Years 2017 and 2018
Santa Cruz Sentinel - PUC reform not yet kaput Pressure to overhaul the PUC has intensified after several key reforms came up short.By George Avalos, Bay Area News Group
POSTED: 09/28/16, 6:43 PM PDT
The Mercury News - Editorial: PUC, Picker still acting in secret Restoring public trust in the California Public Utilities Commission should have been Michael Picker’s primary mission when he was appointed president by Gov. Jerry Brown nearly two years ago.
By MERCURY NEWS EDITORIAL BOARD
PUBLISHED: September 26, 2016 at 3:13 pm | UPDATED: September 26, 2016 at 3:13 pm
Mercury News editorial: PUC desperately needs reforms -Sandoval and Florio should have been standing up for the public’s interest all along. It’s the Public Utilities Commission, after all, not the Pro-Utilities Commission. Instead, they allowed or enabled it to turn away from its basic mission.://www.mercurynews.com/2016/06/30/mercury-news-editorial-puc-desperately-needs-reforms/
By MERCURY NEWS EDITORIAL
PUBLISHED: June 30, 2016 at 7:40 am | UPDATED: August 11, 2016 at 10:57 pm
Critics Say Gov. Brown Isn’t Delivering on Reform at Troubled CPUC - https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/12/17/questions-over-jerry-brown-commitment-to-CPUC-reform/
By Lisa Pickoff-White and Marisa Lagos
DECEMBER 17, 2015
~~~DROUGHT ARTICLES~~~
California Drought Monitor
San Jose: Flood warning for Coyote Creek - By MARK GOMEZ | [email protected] |
PUBLISHED: February 21, 2017 at 5:23 am | UPDATED: February 22, 2017 at 8:31 am
For Tax Raisers, End of Drought Is Bad News - https://www.hjta.org/california-commentary/for-tax-raisers-end-of-drought-is-bad-news/
Jon Coupal Jan 22, 2017
The Mercury News - California storms: State to keep conservation rules for now - http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/17/california-drought-state-to-keep-modest-conservation-rules-for-now/The bottom line: Communities across California that dropped strict watering rules, fines and other penalties this fall will not have to reimpose them, and areas that kept rules in place due to tight supplies are likely to keep them in the short term, although in some cases they may drop drought rules if they can demonstrate that recent rains filled their reservoirs and brought their local conditions back to normal.
By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected] |
PUBLISHED: January 17, 2017 at 3:50 pm | UPDATED: January 20, 2017 at 7:38 am
The Mercury News - Big storms end drought across much of Northern California - http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/12/big-storms-end-drought-across-much-of-northern-california/ - “Some people are saying you have to wait until April 1, but this is what conditions are now. It’s not a forecast. The drought’s over in Northern California,” said David Miskus, a senior meteorologist with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center in Maryland who wrote the report.By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected] |
PUBLISHED: January 12, 2017 at 5:52 am | UPDATED: January 13, 2017 at 3:05 am
Two-minute film clip of Lexington Reservoir drone flyover after January storms - https://vimeo.com/199194213
The Mercury News - Is California’s drought ending? Powerful storms, more on the way - http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/01/03/california-drought-first-snow-survey-of-the-year-tuesday-as-big-storms-forecast/
By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: January 3, 2017 at 10:42 am | UPDATED: January 6, 2017 at 9:30 am
East Bay Times - California drought: 84 percent of water agencies choose zero as conservation target
By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: August 16, 2016 at 4:24 pm | UPDATED: August 24, 2016 at 7:35 am
MEET THE CALIFORNIA COUPLE WHO USES MORE WATER THAN EVERY HOME IN LOS ANGELES COMBINED
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/04/lynda-stewart-resnick-california-water
Josh Harkinson, Aug 9, 2016
The Mercury News - Californians continue water conservation with 21.5 percent cut despite relaxed drought rules
By PAUL ROGERS | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: August 2, 2016 at 3:58 am | UPDATED: August 11, 2016 at 10:52 pm
The Mercury News - California drought: San Jose declares water shortage, but won’t fine wasters
By MIKE ROSENBERG
PUBLISHED: August 26, 2014 at 10:22 am | UPDATED: August 12, 2016 at 8:27 am
The Mercury News - California water projects rely on imaginary water - http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/12/27/keats-california-water-projects-are-based-on-imaginary-water/
By ADAM KEATS
PUBLISHED: December 27, 2016 at 8:00 am | UPDATED: December 27, 2016 at 8:20 am
~~~SCVWD ARTICLES and BOARD MEETINGS~~~
SCVWD Board of Directors Meeting 12/13/16 VIDEO. Skip to Agenda Item 5.1 for discussion on rate increases - http://scvwd.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=1398
http://www.sanjoseinside.com/tag/santaclaravalleywaterdistrict/ - Articles written by San Jose Inside about SCVWD
Water District Staff Gets Testy, Defends RMC Deal that Will Cost $103 Million, Offer Little Benefit - The Santa Clara Valley Water District’s board of directors signed off on a $5 million deal for RMC Water and Environment. This is the same company the board wanted to audit late last year—and still has yet to do—after Metro’s reporting brought to light several conflicts of interest, a district manager accusing RMC of theft and the district’s former CEO, Beau Goldie, breaking agency bylaws to give away more taxpayer money. - http://www.sanjoseinside.com/2016/11/30/water-district-staff-defends-rmc-deal-that-will-cost-taxpayers-103-million-offers-little-benefit/
San Jose Inside -By The Fly/ November 30, 2016
Despite Water District Board’s Calls for Audit, RMC to Receive $5.2 Million Contract Extension - The Santa Clara Valley Water District signed off on a $5.2 million contract extension with RMC, a company with well-documented conflicts of interests.http://www.sanjoseinside.com/2016/11/08/despite-water-district-boards-calls-for-audit-rmc-to-receive-5-2-million-contract-extension/
San Jose Inside - By Josh Koehn @josh_koehn/ November 8, 2016
Silicon Valley Law Group Wins Multi-Million Dollar Judgment against The Santa Clara Valley Water District over Illegal Water Charges - http://www.svlg.com/svlg-wins-multi-million-dollar-judgment-against-the-santa-clara.html
The Mercury News - Despite drought, Bay Area water district executives reap generous pay
By DANIEL J. WILLIS and THOMAS PEELE | [email protected]
PUBLISHED: March 14, 2015 at 10:20 am | UPDATED: August 12, 2016 at 2:50 am
~~~INVESTOR OWNED UTILITY ARTICLES~~~
In American Towns, Private Profits From Public Works - In one measure of residents’ distress, people are falling so far behind on their bills that the city is placing more liens against their homes, which can eventually lead to foreclosures. - http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/24/business/dealbook/private-equity-water.html?_r=0
New York Times - By DANIELLE IVORY, BEN PROTESS and GRIFF PALMER DEC. 24, 2016
~~~WEBSITES, YOUTUBE VIDEOS, BLOGS, and FACEBOOK PAGES~~~
Youtube video of 1/23/13 Meeting Featuring CA Senator Jim Beall, SJ Council Member Xavier Campos & CA Division of Rate Payer Advocates discussing 44% rate increase request from SJWC.
https://youtu.be/GL5dm5TYTe8
Youtube video - Oppose SJWC 44% Rate Increase
https://youtu.be/AtX-1rhGNhE
PUSHBACK-ON-SJWC FACEBOOK PAGE - https://www.facebook.com/PushBack-on-SJWC-354639318245219
Follow James Hunter's blog - San Jose Water Company (SJWC) Rate Increase
http://sjwc-rate-increase.blogspot.com
~~~PROPOSITION 218~~~
What is Proposition 218? - http://www.californiataxdata.com/pdf/proposition218.pdf
Understanding Propostion 218 - http://www.lao.ca.gov/1996/120196_prop_218/understanding_prop218_1296.html#chapter5
WATER RATES UNDER PROP. 218 - http://www.hjta.org/propositions/proposition-218/water-rates-under-proposition-218/
California Proposition 218, Voter Approval Required Before Local Tax Increases (1996) -
https://ballotpedia.org/California_Proposition_218,_Voter_Approval_Required_Before_Local_Tax_Increases_(1996)