ACTIVISTS DEMAND NEW WATER HEARING PUC VOTED 4-1 TO APPROVE NEWHALL LAND SALE.Byline: Nicholas Grudin Staff Writer VALENCIA - Lennar Corp.'s purchase of the Valencia Water Co., which was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC; also often commonly referred to as simply the PUC) [1] is a state Public Utilities Commission which regulates privately-owned utilities in the state of California, including electric power, in January, is coming under fire yet again by environmental groups, which have filed for the deal's approval to be reconsidered. The Sierra Club and the Friends of the Santa Clara River Santa Clara River may refer to:
``I don't want to see private water companies take over public water supplies,'' said Lynne Plambeck, explaining the reasoning behind the motion. ``There is an inherent conflict of interest between the parent developer and the wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. . It's in the developer's interest to say there's water available and that the water is clean. That is in conflict with what a water company should be doing.'' When Lennar Corp. bought The Newhall Land and Farming Company The Newhall Land and Farming Company is a land management company based in Valencia, California, United States. The company is responsible for the master community planning of Valencia, as well as the management of farm land elsewhere in the state. last year, the Valencia Water Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Newhall Land, was part of the deal. The motion filed by the Sierra Club and the Friends of the Santa Clara River contends that the PUC changed the rules for affiliated transactions in approving Lennar's purchase of the water company. Newhall Land officials have argued that the sale of the Valencia Water Co. will not affect the operations of the utility since the management will not undergo any changes. ``All of the issues that they are raising are issues that were fully analyzed by the administrative law judge administrative law judge n. a professional hearing officer who works for the government to preside over hearings and appeals involving governmental agencies. They are generally experienced in the particular subject matter of the agency involved or of several agencies. and the PUC commissioners,'' Newhall Land spokeswoman Marlee Lauffer said. ``There was ample time for opponents to do legal briefs on their positions, all of those were fully reviewed and with the commission's 4-1 vote in favor of approving the change of control, it's clear they felt they had the information necessary to make the appropriate decision.'' Last year, the PUC found that ``the facts underlying the effects of the proposed transaction do not appear to be in dispute,'' while Lynch voiced concern over the ``failure to allow public hearings on this matter.'' Nicholas Grudin, (661) 257-5255 nicholas.grudin(at)dailynews.com |
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