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Michael Elliot for OCWD; Linda Moulton-Patterson, Megan Yoo Schneider and Karl Seckel for MWDOC; Kris Beard for OWD; and Adam Ereth for Mesa Water.
To cut to the chase – John Earl of Surf City Voice, and the Orange Juice Blog*, agree: Orange County voters this cycle must elect the following SIX WATER PATRIOTS OF 2020, for expertise and honesty on our water boards, and to finally put an end to the Poseidon desal boondoggle which we’ve all been fighting so long:
- Kris Beard for OC Water District, Div. 4 (Garden Grove, Westminster, Los Al, Seal Beach, northern HB, parts of Cypress, Buena Park & Stanton)
- Michael Elliot for OC Water District, Div. 6 (parts of Huntington Beach & Fountain Valley)
- Linda Moulton-Patterson for MWDOC, Div. 3 (Fountain Valley, Westminster, bits of HB, Cypress, Stanton, Los Al, Rossmoor)
- Karl Seckel for MWDOC, Div. 4 (HB, Seal Beach, Costa Mesa)
- Megan Yoo Schneider for MWDOC, Div. 7 INCUMBENT (South County – San Clemente up to Laguna Hill & Aliso Viejo)
- and Adam Ereth for Mesa Water Board, Div. 2 (Costa Mesa Mesa Verde area)
*except Greg re. MWDOC 3, who prefers McVicker.
John Earl writes, on the invaluable Surf City Voice, on why you should vote for each of these worthy candidates, and also why you should ABSOLUTELY NOT vote for their opponents:
The Orange County Water District manages the county’s groundwater basin, providing 75 percent of the drinking water for 2.5 million residents in central and north county. It’s board of directors has been earnestly engaged since 2013 with Poseidon Resources unethically, illegally, and religiously to get its proposed $1 billion ocean desalination plant scam paid for by plucking the pockets of OCWD ratepayers for the benefit of Poseidon’s worldwide investors network, as happened with the construction of its twin Carlsbad desal plant.
The Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) sells imported water to its 28 member agencies in Orange County, supplying 25 percent of their water supply.
Poseidon Resources has spent $147,790 on its preferred water board candidates to keep control of the OCWD board and to gain control of the MWDOC board for reasons that are explained in detail in my endorsement of Karl Seckel for the MWDOC board of directors, Div. 4. It has been assisted in that effort by $109,313 more in “independent expenditures” from allied PACs, for a total of $257,103.
OCWD Div. 4: Vote for Kris Beard
Former Garden Grove City Councilman Kris Beard opposes the proposed $1 billion Poseidon scam.
His main opponent, Tri Ta, supports Poseidon and is backed by $12,300 in independent expenditures from … read the rest on Surf City Voice!
OCWD Div. 6: Vote for Michael Elliot
Michael Elliot’s opponent is incumbent Cathy Green, who has ruled the OCWD Board of Directors like Poseidon’s crazy queen for the past 10 years and it’s long past time for her to go. For a long list of offenses against all that sound water management should stand for, simply type “Cathy Green” in the search box at the top of this blog [Surf City Voice] and prepare to shock your senses.
Elliot is opposed to the Poseidon project, understands the need for conservation and efficient groundwater management–in other words, he’s the opposite of Green who has enjoyed $75,585 in “independent expenditures” from Poseidon and its PAC allies in its quest to … read the rest on Surf City Voice!
The Municipal Water District of OC (MWDOC)
Div. 3 – Vote for Linda Moulton-Patterson
Linda Moulton-Patterson is a Poseidon-project skeptic, and a former Huntington Beach mayor. She served on the Coastal Commission and was the chairperson of the State’s Integrated Waste Management Board and in that role worked closely with the State Water Board. And she is endorsed by the Orange County League of Conservation Voters.
Moulton-Patterson soars above Poseidon’s choice for her district, State Assemblyman Tyler Diep, an apologetic anti-Semite who was defeated in the primary by Uber and Lyft with millions of dollars in “independent expenditures” in favor of his opponent Janet Nguyen because he supported… read the rest on Surf City Voice!
Div. 4 – Vote for Karl Seckel
Karl Seckel is currently the District Engineer and Assistant General Manager at MWDOC, from which he is retiring after 37 years. Seckel’s opponent, Stacy Lynne Taylor, has worked in public relations under various titles (currently “water policy manager”) for 10 years at Mesa Water in Costa Mesa…
Taylor has supported the Poseidon project for 10 years as Mesa Water’s public relations specialist–enthusiastically spinning facts to gain public acceptance for the project was part of her job.
In contrast to Karl Seckel’s transparent response to voters’ questions about the Poseidon scam, Stacy Taylor has been evasive and misleading. Do not be fooled by her false claim that… read the rest on Surf City Voice!
Div. 7 – Vote for incumbent Megan Yoo Schneider
Incumbent Yoo Schneider was elected to the Municipal Water District of Orange County Water Board, Div. 7, in 2016. She is well versed in water issues and is part of the board that allowed MWDOC engineer/assistant general manager Karl Seckel (also endorsed as a candidate for MWDOC Div. 4) to conduct the Poseidon crushing Orange County 2018 Water Reliability Study. She is endorsed by Irvine Ranch Water District’s director and famous Poseidon critic, Peer Swan.
Her opponent, Debbie Neev, is on the board of CalDesal, a desalination industry non-profit lobby group that was formed by Mesa Water District to support the Poseidon ocean desalination project and … read the rest on Surf City Voice!
and don’t forget Mesa Water District…
Div. 2 – Vote for Adam Ereth!
Adam Ereth would be a well-qualified replacement for incumbent Jim Fisler, Orange County’s scariest, meanest, surliest, and generally most loathsome Poseidon Resources shill who has been on the Mesa Board of Directors way too long, since 2010. Poseidon gave $2,500 to Fisler for Election 2020 so far. When Fisler isn’t busy shilling for Poseidon, dishing out false information about its billion-dollar project, while pretending to be an expert, he has spent a lot of time posting racist memes about the Obamas or how great the Confederacy supposedly was for its slaves (type Fisler in this blog’s search engine for more info on Fisler and his disservice record at Mesa.)
Ereth is none of that and has a water-board appropriate background in science while he earns his PhD Environmental Health Sciences, focusing on climate change and water-focused research from which he expects to graduate in early 2021, just in time to replace Fisler, who also… read the rest on Surf City Voice!
You and the owners of this blog and wrong to think that Linda Moulton-Patterson — Old Rep. Jerry’s wife and business partner — has a better chance to stave off Tyler Diep’s joining the MWDOC Board then the perfectly good current incumbent, Bob McVicker. But, as with Anaheim’s 4th City Council District, we’ll better be able to argue about who was wrong once we see who finished third in the race that the corrupt guy won because the person who finished third split the vote.
McVicker is anti-Poseidon, based on his record on the MWDOC Board. Moulton-Patterson may or may not be — but I note that her bragging about her work to “save our beautiful Bolsa Chica Wetlands,” in the current context of Poseidon, plays into the “we’ll pay to save some of the wetlands so long as you let us soak the county’s ratepayers to do it” argument that was presented at the Santa Ana River Waterways Board. I have no faith that this well-connected woman opposes Poseidon at all.
That’s true – why did John choose her over McVicker? I’ll ask him now. And I’ll try to change that sentence where it says the “blog owners” (by which I meant you and me) agree on all these.
John says:
“His views on Poseidon were unknown, hers were known to me. And she had experience on coastal commission, state sanitation board, and had worked with the state water board. McVicker might be ok though but I felt she was stronger against Diep.”
My recollection anti-Poseidon from taking to McVicker — and the respected Board member who spoke well of McVicker — is that he opposes Poseidon.
Moulton-Patterson is probably a competent and well-accomplished person — but let’s not kid ourselves about her amazing history of appointments to government boards, which are detailed in her candidate statement (where I’d rather have seen policy positions): she got most if not all of those appointments because she was the wife of longstanding and well-connected Congressman Jerry Patterson. Was she qualified for them? Let’s assume so — but most women who were qualified for them didn’t have the connections to rack up those sorts of accomplishments. I trust that John is right about her positions.
To me, though, this race comes down to who can beat Diep. Rep. Patterson ties, a Coastal Commission history, and gender (in a race where she’s the only qualified woman running against two men) are good arguments for her; longtime service in the industry, opposition to Poseidon (as I recall it), and most of all incumbency are good arguments for him. I fear that we’re in an “Anaheim 4” situation here. We’ll find out who was right soon after it will be too late.
One question I’ve had for John is: has he tried to find out McVicker’s position? He has much better contacts than you and me combined, and they would probably know something!