Bill Attacks Local Services

Re Alan J. Nestlinger’s June 2 letter regarding Curt Pringle’s bill, AB 2109:

The citizens of Orange County need to quickly respond to AB 2109, which passed the Assembly by a 61-0 vote. This bill attacks local control of water and sewer service in each Orange County community by removing water and sewer service governance from the small independent special districts and placing the control with huge super districts.

Is bigger better? Economies of scale do not apply in this case.

In my neighborhood, our Los Alamitos County Water District is as efficiently run as you can get. Property taxes, connection fees, rental income and investment income generate the funds to operate this district, which provides sewer service and maintenance.

A 52-mile pipeline system covers 4,000 acres, with more than 8,000 connections in west Orange County (Los Alamitos, the unincorporated community of Rossmoor, and portions of Seal Beach and Cypress). A super agency would not move or consolidate this pipeline system.

For 43 years, the district has provided services to our community at the lowest possible cost. As a percentage of local property valuation, our rate remains at 0.1 percent, one of the lowest rates in Southern California. We are not charged an additional user fee for these services.

The district is in a sound financial position with no liabilities and has money in the bank for emergencies.

I believe Assembly Leader Pringle (R-Garden Grove) went out on a limb with this super agency bill without adequate research and without a vote of the Orange County citizens.

ARLYSS M. BURKETT

Board Member

Los Alamitos

County Water District