WATER CO. OPERATED ILLEGALLY JUDGE RULES CLWA CANNOT CONTROL RETAIL.Byline: Kathleen Sweeney Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - A Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Superior Court judge ruled Friday that the Castaic Lake Castaic Lake is a lake on Castaic Creek formed by Castaic Dam, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, near the town of Castaic. The 323,700 acre foot lake (399,000,000 m³) is the terminus of the West Branch of the California Aqueduct, though some comes from the 154 mi² Water Agency is operating the Santa Clarita Water Co. illegally. Judge David Yaffe ordered the area's water wholesaler to comply with the State Water Code within 90 days and gave the CLWA CLWA Chip-Level Weibull Analysis CLWA Children living with AIDS (Lancaster, OH) two options - to contract with an independent agency that is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission or allow a public agency, such as the Newhall County Water District, to run the retailer. CLWA officials were shocked by the decision, and issued a statement saying Assembly Bill 134, legislation ``specifically enacted last year to allow the agency to operate at retail within the boundaries of the Santa Clarita Water Co., had apparently missed its mark.'' General Manager Dan Masnada said the agency will be meeting with its board of directors and will most likely appeal the decision. Four local residents, including former Santa Clarita Councilwoman Jill Klajic, sued to block the $63 million purchase, claiming the agency was chartered as a wholesaler, not a retailer. Opponents were concerned that the agency was moving toward a monopoly on the local water market, which could favor development interests. Agency officials contend they are charged with providing water, not controlling growth. Jennifer Kilpatrick, an attorney representing the taxpayer group, said the plaintiffs suggested that the PUC (Public Utility Commission) A regulatory body in every state in the U.S. that governs public utilities within its jurisdiction such as electricity, gas, oil, sewer, water, transportation and telephone service. Some states call it the Public Service Commission (PSC). regulate the company and create a separate board of residents in its territory so it would be independent of the wholesaler. An appellate court A court having jurisdiction to review decisions of a trial-level or other lower court. An unsuccessful party in a lawsuit must file an appeal with an appellate court in order to have the decision reviewed. ruled last year that the agency had the right to buy the company, but not the authority to run it, and the retail operator would be subject to PUC regulation. ``It was not unexpected given what the court of appeals said in July, however, it resolved the issue of what impact AB 134 had,'' Kilpatrick said. ``(The judge) wasn't subject to the public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most campaign from CLWA as to what they wished AB 134 said.'' CLWA sought legislation last summer that would allow the wholesaler to act as a retailer. Gov. Gray Davis signed AB 134 in October, but the purchase of the water company remained murky because the document stated that it would only cover future deals. |
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