Despite the low relative cost of the user fees, some well meaning folks have been misled by know-nothing, self-centered, negligent memos apparently by Mr. Greenhut and the O.C. Register. They are conspiring to starve OCSD of the modest fee increase needed to properly treat wastewater -- and bring antequated plant, pipe and pump stations up to modern times.

There is no more vital need than air to breathe. Next, it's water to drink. After food, it's waste disposal. Try it out. Think of a camping safari. First thing you bring is water, then (with clothing) food. And the first thing you have to do, even with a small group, is dig a latrine. Otherwise, your whole picnic is spoiled. In the case of a crowded human community, it's PUBLIC HEALTH that's at risk, as was demonstrated in Huntington Harbour when one follower of libertarian thinking, a Professor Zagustin, tried to treat her own sewage.

Row after row of million dollar houses, and dense apartments run by wealthy owners showing very positive cash flow, dot the O.C. housing landscape. Yet at the last meeting of OCSD, the Register's Greenhut brought out some loonies, who said such things as:

"...we worry about the poor apartment dweller..." (singing the weeps from the apartment house owners).

"...really, we [white people] live only two to our house, and the laws now force landlords to rent one room shacks to 17 Mexicans who flush a lot more...".

"...don't care if you say it's a fee, if it comes on the tax bill, I call it a tax, and I don't like it...".

"...our California taxpayers are being driven out of the state by unreasonable tax increases...".

But the average O.C. housing unit is $300,000, and most of those speaking for dirty water live in much more costly pads.

If you expect to live in such wonderful and desired residences, you have to pay the tab. Taxes go to support schools, fire services, and police. You CANNOT opt out of taxes, because the service is not optional.

Sewage rates are NOT taxes. Sewage is paid for by USER FEES. Anyone who does not like the idea of paying $100, or $200, or $400 per year for sewage treatment, can disconnect from the sewage system.

Imagine all these scofflaw, two-bit hucksters, the something-for- nothing crowd, trying to treat their own sewage! Greenhut himself supposedly does not even live in O.C., so he gets something for nothing already, but, as one irreverant journalist from the leading OC alternative paper, the O.C. Weekly, suggested,

>...would it be possible to just re-route all the sewage >to the register's grand avenue offices and let them have >their libertarian way with it?

I think that's an excellent idea! Each person voting to starve the sewage district from needed funds, should be willing to disconnect from the system, and treat it themselves!

Here are some tele numbers of Directors:

Anaheim Shirley McCracken Bob Hernandez (714) 765-5247
Brea Roy Moore John Beauman (714) 990-7600
Buena Park Patsy Marshall Jim Dow (714) 562-3500
Cypress Anna L. Piercy Tim Keenan (714) 229-6699
Fountain Valley John Collins Larry Crandall (714) 593-4400
Fullerton Don Bankhead Leland Wilson (714) 738-6300
Garden Grove Bill Dalton Bruce Broadwater (714) 741-5000
Huntington Beach Debbie Cook Connie Boardman (714) 536-5553
Irvine Beth Krom Christina Shea (949) 724-6000
La Habra Steve Anderson Steve Simonian (562) 905-9700
La Palma Paul Walker Larry Herman (714) 690-3300
Los Alamitos Alice B. Jempsa Marilyn Poe (310) 431-3538
Newport Beach Tod Ridgeway Don Webb (949) 644-3309
Orange Carolyn Cavecche Steve Ambriz (714) 744-2201
Placentia Norman Z. Eckenrode Constance Underhill (714) 993-8117
Santa Ana Alberta Christy Mike Garcia (714) 647-6900
Seal Beach Patricia Campbell Paul Yost (562) 431-2527
Stanton Brian Donahue David Shawver (714) 379-9222
Tustin Tony Kawashima Doug Davert (714) 573-3010
Villa Park Robert McGowan Richard A. Freschi (714) 998-1500
Yorba Linda Michael Duvall Keri Lynn Wilson (714) 961-7110
Costa Mesa James M. Ferryman Arlene Schafer (714) 850-1220
IRWD Brian J. Brady Darryl G. Miller (949) 453-5300
Supervisor Jim Silva Chuck Smith (714) 834-3220
-------------------------------------------

/Doug

FACTS: In one recent year, Operations and Maintenance was accomplished by about 508 employees (and they were trying to reduce!). The ENTIRE budget for running the plant -- chemicals, trucks, fuel, electric, supplies, salaries, benefits, etc., etc. -- was $56m. That's slightly more than $100,000 per employee, including the honchos, some who get more than $200,000.

This means that the average salary for sewage treatment personnel is between 30k and 40k, and benefits add 25-30%. This is a dangerous, ugly and dirty job, requiring certification, and which can land you in serious trouble if you screw up. This level of pay is not at all extravagant, in fact, it is minimalist just like the sketchy state of the air, water and sludge processing.

Those who said that we are wasting money on these plant workers are perhaps ignorant. Plant operations is not an easy job. Most of the facile criticism ignores the steadfast work of the average OCSD worker, I remember one Paula Zeller among many others, who genuinely like performing a socially necessary but mostly unappreciated service. What sort of creep would denigrate our USA workers, who tackle such difficult work each day, for that kind of money?

To hear the ignorance stirred up by the Register's seeming memos means that there was some deception. Actually, some good may come out of this, as some of the attendees asked how they could take a tour.

The bottom line is simple. You get what you pay for, and, so far, we have gotten away with short-shrifting sewage and water treatment. The end-game is here, now, as this illusion cannot go on any longer.

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