With less than two weeks to go before the March 5 Primary Election, the races for Monterey County supervisors has come down to a single battle in District 5.
In January 2022, the Local Area Formation Commission, or LAFCO, denied the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District’s petition for what’s called the district’s latent powers to buy out Cal Am’s local infrastructure.
One of the Coastal Commission’s conditions is approval by the CPUC before the desal project can break ground. But in the Coastal Commission’s staff report recommending approval, it concludes that while the Pure Water Monterey Expansion will produce enough water in the short term to meet growth demands, in the long run an additional water source will “likely” be needed.
“Our system is not for sale,” said Evan Jacobs, the director of external affairs for Cal Am in a press release. “We will defend against the district’s actions because it is not in the best interest of our customers
The lawsuit against LAFCO cited “indefensible” statements its board members made during the initial December 2021 meeting that were not in line with state law that established the roles of commissioners.