Letters to the Editor: Ratepayers should scrutinize Mesa Water’s decision to charge more

Although I was not selected, I was one of the finalists seeking appointment for the board position at Mesa Water District. However, during the last month, I researched, studied and learned a lot about Costa Mesa water issues.

What I learned: a very key decision was made that must have vital public input and attention. Water rates are going up by 5% and are set to increase again by 5% for the next five years. Also I noticed, while attending several water board meetings, that citizens were absent.

Here is my message to everyone who is served by the district: Unless a majority of citizens protest, rates will be raised every year for the next five years, beginning soon, even if you use less water.

Here are the typical governmental rationals for such rate increase: The board at Mesa Water says it needs the rate hike to support investments in infrastructure, encourage conservation and meet regulatory mandates. In addition, you will hear about rate studies by expert accountants, but you never hear about cost-cutting studies by such experts. In my opinion, there also should be studies for both — find ways to improve efficiency, effectiveness and reduce costs.

This would be a good time to hold public hearings on all the mandates that are causing water rates to rise. We, the citizens, should review those operating costs and make sure they’re truly necessary and effective. Mesa Water is a government entity which serves the public. I do understand a reasonable pay rate charge for such service. However, I also believe the rate charges should be cost-neutral.

Closing your water service account is not an option. We cannot live without water, and such services are monopolistic, as there is only one provider. Who looks out for the ratepayer when the rates are established by five elected board members? What can you do if the water district is raising the rates? Your only recourse is to convince the governing board members not to raise rates, or elect new board members at the next public election.

While residents have been conserving water and controlling their water usage, city staff has been recommending new development, substantially increasing the city’s water demand. No amount of water conservation can make up for this upcoming increase in water rates. The water district usually does not challenge any real estate development. This is unfair — a moratorium on development should be evaluated by the water district.

You can show up at the next Mesa Water board meeting public meeting and express your concerns; also pass the word to your neighbors!

Al Morelli

Costa Mesa

Students should still learn how to solve for X

Re. “Column: Just because algebra is hard doesn’t mean we should give up on it,” (Patrice Apodaca, Aug. 21): “Girls should not be able to get secondary and higher education,” the thinking went a century ago, because “it would just be wasted … they will only get married and have babies.”

This reasoning was akin to that of the chancellor of the California Community Colleges system, the nation’s largest, who recently suggested that students who are not math or science majors shouldn’t have to learn intermediate algebra in order to earn an associate’s degree.

Now, if we’re going in that direction, why restrict to algebra any relaxation of standards? How about the many other disciplines that many students might not be good at?

For example, how about physical education classes that computer geeks must take, when all they are really wired to do, according to the stereotype, is eat pizza, drink Coke and write computer code? And how about poetry, music and visual arts, whose wonders STEM students (science, technology, engineering, and math) are supposed to absorb? Is poetry going to help them get a job designing a satellite or finding a new planet?

Seriously, isn’t it about time for a civilized society such as ours to take its generational responsibilities, well, seriously? It’s not good to continue drifting down the aimless river and, in effect, telling children that getting a job is the most important thing in life, so they needn’t worry about learning anything that’s not job-related.

Since youth is for opening minds, not closing them, we’d be better off investing in educating all kids in their first five, never-get-them-back, highly formative years so that they could finish pre-kindergarten on an even footing, ready to learn whatever comes their way.

They’d be able to keep up in the subsequent grades and learn what they need in order to thrive in our modern society. What a concept: High school graduates prepared to go anywhere and do anything, including learning intermediate algebra. And to have full and rewarding lives, including, if they choose, to get married and have babies.

Businesses and colleges — and parents — will applaud.

Tom Egan

Costa Mesa

The writer is a former Newport-Mesa trustee.

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