LUCERNE >> Sarcastic laughter pierced through the Northshore Community Center in Lucerne Thursday when Paul Townsley, California Water Service’s vice president of rates, said in his presentation that the town’s water bills were high.
Further mockery came from Willard Good while he conveyed his problem with the way the town’s water was treated.
“If I wanted to drink chlorine, I’d go get Chlorox at the grocery store and drink it straight,” he said.
The derision was one of many resentful emotions expressed by local residents at a public hearing hosted by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which was there to get citizen input on the utility company’s official request to raise rates in the next three years.
“All I think about is being able to move out of Lucerne [but] I can’t afford it,” 19-year resident Grace Gault said with angry tears welling in her eyes. “I’m a senior citizen and I am still working to pay my utility bills, especially the water bill … so here I am, stuck.”
Gault isn’t alone in her experience — she is one of many residents in the small town that struggle to pay for the fundamental service.
According to CalWater, the average customer uses about 5 CCF, or 500 cubic feet, of water every month. At the $17.2267 per CCF rate posted on its website, this brings usage charges to nearly $86.14 per month for a town that has 41 percent of its households making less than $25,000 a year to go along with a 19 percent unemployment rate.
And that’s not even all the charges.
In fact, some bills obtained by the Record-Bee show residents being hit by six other fees: a more-than- $50 service tariff, a $17.35 surcharge to pay off a $7 million interest-free loan, an approximately $40 WRAM to help CalWater make up for the revenue CalWater lost during the state’s drought historic drought and other small, miscellaneous fees.
Added all together, a monthly bill can exceed $200 — an expense that some claimed was second to only their mortgage.
Apparently things have gotten so bad for one young family that the father, who only makes about $170 monthly, claimed he takes his two daughters to his friend’s house in Clearlake to shower every other day in order to save money.
The man, whose name will remain anonymous, said he is often forced to go a long time without showering. When he gave his testimony in front of the two CPUC administrative law judges, he said he finally bathed Thursday after going nearly four weeks of being dirty.
“I took the first damned shower in one month today! At his house. Because he helped me. One month … of not washing myself. Do any of you know what that feels like, a month without showering yourself?” he said loudly, doing his best to fight back tears of frustration. “I can’t even fill a kiddy pool the width of this [small] table (which he sat in front of to make the testimony).”
Adding insult to injury, he claimed to have recently received a mysterious $760 bill on top another one that brought the grand total to $866. He believed it to be the product of leaky pipes at his residence, so he contacted CalWater’s customer service to request an inspection only to be allegedly denied because he didn’t pay the extravagant bill. The story, though, hasn’t been confirmed.
“I’ve paid my bills for quite a few years in this county. So tell me why the hell do I have a $866 water bill? And they won’t even come out to even help me look at what the hell’s going on until I pay them that money,” he added. “Well guess what?! I have to pay rent, PG&E, food! My solution to this? Simple. Screw ‘em. They’re not getting it; I’m not paying them.”
Emotions peaked when another resident made a speech so loud she didn’t need the microphone. The woman did not give her name, but she claimed to have lived in Lucerne for 13 years.
Like everyone else, she expressed how tired she was of this and called for action. However, she directed her attack on the two PG&E administrative law judges in attendance.
“I’m sick and tired of the BS … When you go back to your office, talk from your heart. [Everyone] here today and those not here today are speaking from their hearts, from their souls,” she said. “Your job is to speak for the heart of these people!”
“Look at what they’re doing to us! It’s disgusting… y’all should be ashamed.”
The woman and the other 20-plus people that spoke at the meeting received applause from the nearly 35 residents in attendance.
Some even made people laugh like Eileen Turner, who told the audience that she was able to acquire the contact information for one of the company’s executives. She claims to only have gotten a message machine, but she still insulted him.
The laughs filled the room, but unlike Townsley’s report, those were genuine.
