Central Basin administrators allegedly pocketed substantial sums following the appointment of a new General Manager.
In a shocking revelation, the Los Cerritos Community Newspaper has uncovered that some directors at Central Basin (CB) have been receiving increased payments for attending meetings. The investigation, conducted on September 12, 2024, has raised concerns among rate-payers, as these payments have been costing them five below thousands of dollars every month.
Since February 2024, Director Juan Garza has received the highest meeting payments, totaling $14,754 for five months. This is followed by Director Martha Camacho-Rodriguez, whose meeting payments skyrocketed after Victor Ponto took over, totaling $8,858 for five months. Former Director Michael Gualtieri and Thomas Bekele, Director of Public Works for the city of Signal Hill, also received payments, totaling $7,376 and $3,836 respectively.
The payments to Gualtieri and Bekele, however, are questionable, as it is an unwritten rule that appointed CB Directors refrain from taking payments for meetings because they work for other public agencies. It is unclear if these payments violate AB 1794, which prohibits public officials from holding multiple positions that could result in a conflict of interest.
In addition to meeting payments, Garza also received a monthly car allowance of $397 and $200 for his venmo, totaling $1,000. Garza also cashes a $5,000 check every month as the Executive Director for California Cities for Self-Reliance-JPA. Camacho-Rodriguez also took a monthly car and cell phone allowance, totaling $11,843 in five months. Director Leticia Vazquez-Wilson took $11,800 in meeting payments and allowances for five months.
CB President Art Chacon has stated that directors are allowed ten monthly meetings, and that the findings are interesting, particularly since they occurred after Alex Rojas was placed on leave and directors Rodriguez and Garza illegally voted to put him on leave. Chacon took the lowest amount in payments, $9,442 in total, which is $8,200 less than the highest amount taken by Garza.
Juan Garza, however, has responded to the investigation with libelous and defamatory remarks, and has claimed that the payments are validated and expected expenses, per the irs. Garza's response has sparked further controversy, as the investigation has yet to uncover any such budgetary allocation.
The vote to put Dr. Alex Rojas on leave and appoint Victor Ponto as acting CB General Manager was found to have violated Rojas' employment contract and the Water Code. The investigation is ongoing, and it remains to be seen how this will impact the directors involved and the future of the Central Basin Water Agency.
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