Sanitary district wants investigation of Mesa Water’s Measure TT materials
The Costa Mesa Sanitary District’s board president is asking the California Fair Political Practices Commission to investigate whether the Mesa Water District improperly used public money to advocate in favor of a local ballot measure.
In a letter sent to the FPPC on Monday, Mike Scheafer alleges recent mailers and advertisements from Mesa Water could unfairly bias voters on Measure TT — an advisory question the water district put on the Nov. 8 ballot to ask voters if the two agencies should pursue a merger.
“Mesa Water District, in its ongoing effort to take over control of Costa Mesa Sanitary District, recently sent out two mail pieces to voters, paid for with public funds,” Scheafer said in a statement.
Mesa Water also took out a full-page advertisement in The Current, a weekly publication of the Orange County Register, that Scheafer said “merits the FPPC’s investigation regarding potential violations of state law.”
“The tenor, timing and style of this full-page ad clearly suggests advocacy, and the use of public funds for its publication bears further investigation,” he wrote in his complaint.
The same ad appeared in Sunday’s Daily Pilot.
Mesa Water External Affairs Manager Stacy Taylor said the district’s legal counsel “reviewed and approved all informational materials distributed by Mesa Water as an accurate, fair and impartial presentation of the facts.”
To date, Taylor said Mesa Water has spent $10,796 on informational materials related to Measure TT. The district has approved spending up to $88,000 for educational outreach efforts on the measure.
FPPC spokesman Jay Wierenga confirmed that the complaint has been filed and is under review to see whether it has merit.
Scheafer’s complaint is the latest salvo in an inter-agency dispute that’s morphed into a pitched political battle.
In June, Mesa Water commissioned a study that showed the financial benefits of combining the two districts’ operations could be significant — roughly $15.6 million in one-time savings and an additional $2.7 million annually.
Those savings could result in a $650 rebate for each customer and up to a 28% reduction in wastewater rates, according to the study prepared by consultant Arcadis U.S. Inc.
“These savings are after the costs of consolidation, an investment that Mesa Water believes is well justified, given the substantial cost savings that could result for customers,” Taylor said.
In his FPPC complaint, Scheafer objected to the fact that Mesa Water’s ad in The Current displays those possible savings in a bold font, “clearly distinguishing it from the remainder of the text and contrary to how it appears in the voter information pamphlet.”
Sanitary district officials have also repeatedly claimed the possible savings calculated in the Arcadis study are flawed and inaccurate. Taylor said Mesa Water stands by the findings.
The two agencies have also been at loggerheads over Measure TT in recent months. Mesa Water officials say ratepayers should get a chance to weigh in on the concept of a merger, given the level of possible savings, but the sanitary district has blasted the measure as a political stunt.
Ratepayers in either district can vote on Measure TT.
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
