Mailbag: Board’s promises hold no water

The residents of Crescenta Valley have to wake up and smell the water.

The recent article in the Glendale News-Press on raising water rates should have alarmed us as customers and ratepayers (“CV water rates may rise, Aug. 26). I don’t see any concern within our community. Is there any skepticism on why water rates are going to increase again? The community of Crescenta Valley has to show that we are putting our elected officials under the microscope.

This past November election, the rise of water rates was one of the major campaign issues. Now is the time to hold these individuals to their campaign promises, starting off with James Bodnar’s political philosophy, which is to “have safe and affordable drinking water.” The key word here is affordable.

I don’t see any uprising on Bodnar’s part, especially since he serves as a senior water resource engineer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, where water prices trickle down and affect our rates here where it matters.

Kerry Erickson’s campaign promise and solution is to reduce dependence on expensive imported water and to obtain a reduction in water and sewer charges for the residents.

Erickson stated that we have been stagnant for too long, that it was time to inject some new blood into the board. What happened to his promise and priorities? Almost a year and no change has been noted with our current Crescenta Valley Water District board of directors.

Judy Tejada, Kathy Ross, Ken Putnam are board members who are not excluded from uncertainty. With our neighboring cities, elected officials are hung over the edge by their serving community with every miniscule decision which would affect rates. We should not leave the entire decision making up to the board. If we do, it will belong less and less to our community.

Let’s not sit here dormant. We will be watching. These are the officials we elected, Crescenta Valley! It’s obvious the waste of our hard-earned dollars during a recession isn’t a priority to this board.

One could tell last November elections were a popularity vote rather than a well-educated vote. The Crescenta Valley Water District board has not accomplished anything in my opinion. A year later and no campaign promises have been met, no solutions have been remarked, and no movement or action toward a better course for our community has been undertaken.

Instead, a year later our community receives a “public notice of proposed increase in water rates and charges.”

Armand Yardemian

La Crescenta

Enough with the Galleria bashing

What is really “old and tired” is Rick Caruso’s comments about the Glendale Galleria (“Caruso champions Americana’s future,” Sept. 22).

I happen to like the Galleria and will continue to shop there despite what he thinks. Approval of the Americana at Brand won by a very slim margin. Instead of being satisfied that he got what he wanted, he continues to act like he should be the only game in town.

Competition is good, and Caruso should stop bad-mouthing the other businesses in Glendale.

Lisa Charles

Glendale