Vote No on LAFCO's "Protest "Election"

Here we go again.

Look for this envelope in the mail – it's your latest chance to say "no" to the Tuscan Water District.

But it appears the powers-that-be may have just botched their second election over TWD in seven months.

Let's rewind the tape just a little bit, for those of you trying to keep up, or down, with this whole sorry affair.

After Groundwater For Butte members (and plenty of others) showed up in force at LAFCO most recent two meetings to ask pointed questions of the process, the Commission switched from one-vote-per-acre to voting weighted by assessed value of land owned.

Then, as required by law, LAFCO scheduled a second "protest election."

In theory a protest election is an opportunity for the community to toss the whole project without the expense and fuss of a county-administered election. Landowners are given the opportunity to say "no," by mailing in a form with their signature and APN number. 

There was a first protest election – according to Steve Lucas at LAFCo, it received 120 votes, 113 of them deemed valid. It failed to stop TWD.

This isn't surprising. With votes are weighted by assessed land value, the largest landowners would have to turn in this form in sufficient numbers for TWD to be sunk right now. As always, a few thousand homeowners are no match for a few score bigger fish.

But please do return this ballot and please vote no!

That is, if LAFCO doesn't have to clear more egg from its faces and start over.

The landowner protest form states it will only be valid if submitted by April 5, 2022. Considering how important legalities are to this process, it's quite possible LAFCO will now have to spend another who-knows-how-much on postage, or postpone this altogether.

In any case, voting in this protest election requires that you fill in your name and address OR you APN number (which can be found on their outgoing address label to you), and also sign under your name.

Then you have to send it in an envelope, with your own stamp, to:

BUTTE COUNTY LAFCO

1453 DOWNER STREET

SUITE C

OROVILLE, CA 95965-4950

And here is the letter – which, for its part, does get the year right. It's 2023. As the letter states, there is a "protest hearing" on May 5, but it is only a formality to receive written protests. No public discussion of the matter. Are we surprised?

THANKS TO THOSE WHO HAVE DONATED to G4B, we were able to create and send this double-sided postcard to about 1500 property-owner addresses this week. They should land in mailboxes right after LAFCO's protest ballots.

If you would like to send a few of these out to your network, we have plenty of extras. Contact us at info@groundwaterforbutte.org.

STAY TUNED.

There will likely be two more elections regarding TWD (after this protest election).

One comes after the Board of Supervisors again rubber-stamps TWD and sends out a ballot asking to establish it. This will require 50% of votes by assessed land value.

Then another election will have to be held to approve the property-tax assessment. That one will require two-thirds approval, a much higher bar.

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We oppose the formation of the Tuscan Water District and demand that Butte County officials step up to their responsibilities under State law. The groundwater belongs to the public and must be managed transparently by publicly elected authorities - not privatized as a "water bank."