Local News in Brief : Trabuco Canyon : Water Board Member Receives Recall Notice

A board member of the Santa Ana Mountains County Water District, who has waged a lengthy battle with fellow board members over his right to supply water to low-income families living on his ranch, was served with a recall notice Wednesday, district officials said.

The recall notice, which was served to Sam Porter, owner of “Porterville,” the 300-acre ranch in the hills of Trabuco Canyon, alleges that Porter had slept through several board meetings, had illegally connected the homes of several families to one water meter and had publicly admitted that he accepted his position on the board solely to serve his own interest and not that of the district, board member Charles Wall said.

Wall, who initiated the recall effort, said he was doing so as a private citizen. He added that, as private citizens, the other board members supported the movement.

Porter, who has argued that he is the victim of a personal vendetta, was elected to a four-year term on the water district board in 1986. In March, Porter, who has housed low-income families on his ranch for nine years, threatened to organize a recall election against the other board members. But according to Wall, none of the other board members have yet been served with a notice.

Next month, supporters of Porter’s recall will begin collecting the more than 400 signatures from district voters needed to qualify a recall election for the November ballot, Wall said.