Central Basin directors allegedly received thousands in compensation following the appointment of a new general manager.
In a recent investigation by the Los Cerritos Community Newspaper, it was found that some Directors of the Central Basin (CB) began receiving increased payments to attend meetings after illegally voting to put Dr. Alex Rojas on paid leave and appointing Victor Ponto as acting CB General Manager.
The Director of Public Works for the city of Signal Hill, Thomas Bekele, received payments totaling $3,836 over five months. Interestingly, his payments also rose after Ponto became GM. Bekele's payments in March were $590.
Former Director Michael Gualtieri received payments totaling $7,376 from La Habra Heights Water during his time at CB, with the payments rising after Victor Ponto became GM. Gualtieri's payments in March were $3,246.
Since February 2024, Director Juan Garza received the highest payments for attending meetings, totaling $14,754 over five months. Garza also received a monthly car allowance of $397, a total of $1,985, and $200 for his cell phone, bringing his total to $17,739 over five months. Garza also cashes a $5,000 check every month as the Executive Director for California Cities for Self-Reliance-JPA.
Director Leticia Vazquez-Wilson took $11,800, including allowances, over five months for attending meetings. Camacho-Rodriguez, another Director, also took a monthly car and cell phone allowance, totaling $11,843 over five months. Camacho-Rodriguez saw her meeting payments skyrocket after Ponto took over, totaling $8,858 over five months.
It is worth noting that it is an unwritten rule and a professional courtesy that appointed CB Directors refrain from taking payments for meetings because they work for other public agencies. Current Director Jim Crawford does not take payments to attend CB meetings.
The investigation also revealed that Garza responded to the documents obtained by the writer with statements that were libelous and defamatory, claiming there was no baseline, no prior evidence nor trends, and no outline on the legitimacy of the meetings and figures. When asked about Garza's comment, CB President Art Chacon told LCCN that Directors are allowed ten monthly meetings, period.
When presented with the documents, Garza stated that the accounting of expenses was validated and expected, per their budget. Art Chacon, on the other hand, stated that the findings are interesting and all happened after Alex Rojas was placed on leave. He also suggested that both Bekele and Gualtieri could potentially be double dipping, under AB 1794.
The search results do not provide information about which director of the Central Basin received the highest salary in 2024 after Dr. Alex Rojas was put on leave and Victor Ponto was appointed interim CB director. However, it is clear that the increased payments to attend meetings have raised questions about the legitimacy of these meetings and the salaries received by the Directors.
The vote to put Rojas on leave violated his employment contract and the Water Code. The investigation is ongoing, and more details are expected to be revealed in the coming days.
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