Water Agency Barred From Lobbying Efforts

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ruled that the Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster should not engage in legislative lobbying over the issue of ground-water cleanup in the region.

But Judge Florence T. Pickard, despite a petition filed by the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, upheld the validity of November nominations for the nine-member water board. The judge also approved those who were nominated for appointment to the board. The district had complained to Pickard about the election process and about lobbying undertaken last year by the water authority.