In April, LADWP agreed to an outside judge handling their case against MCWD.
Steve Kronick, attorney for Mammoth Community Water District confirmed reports that Judge Randall is assigned to the court case in which the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has challenged Mammoth’s water rights.
The official announcement of that judicial assignment is scheduled for a status conference in Mammoth Court Thursday, May 10 at 9:30am. Randall is the judge who sat on the Hot Creek Lawsuit jury trial and on the more recent writ issued to force Mammoth to pay its $43 million debt. His assignment comes as the result of LADWP’s filing of a change of venue motion and then acceptance of an assigned judge.
LADWP lawyers had at first tried to have the case moved to Fresno, but then in front of a packed courtroom the lawyer said DWP would settle for an assigned judge to hear the case in Mono County. Mono Judge Stan Eller agreed.
Attorney Kronick said that “There are opportunities to challenge assigned judges. He said, “We are evaluating the situation.” Kronick said that the status conference on May 10th is on and will be conducted by phone. He said attorneys will discuss the assignment of the judge on this case and another matter.
Kronick said the other issue for the May 10th hearing is a 60-day extension for the Water District to submit a certified administrative record of the Mammoth Creek fishery flow EIR.
Meanwhile, letters have gone to the Los Angeles City Council, the LA Mayor and the LADWP commissioners asking them to reconsider the untimely and burdensome legal attack on Mammoth’s water rights. The Mammoth Town Council, the Mono Supervisors and Mammoth Community Water District President Tom Smith have all sent letters to LA officials.
The Alpine County Board of Supervisors will also send letters to LA officials supporting the water district and Mono County. The Water District has also posted information on its website about how citizens can fight back against LADWP. Check it out at www.mcwd.dst.ca.us.
Local officials contend that LADWP’s lawsuits are not the proper arena for challenging Mammoth’s water rights. The lawsuits attack the EIR on fishery flows in Mammoth Creek and the water district’s Urban Water Management Plan. DWP alleges that Mammoth’s Water District has no standing to develop either document since Mammoth has no water rights in Mammoth Creek.
Smart meters have been an issue here in New Zealand. I am a fireman here in the winters. In New Zealand, 422 fires involved smart meters in 2010. Recently, the Metropolitan Fire Brigade launched an investigation in switchboard fires following the installation of the smart meters in Victoria. Thirdly, smart… Read more »
I simply cannot imagine laws put into place and enforced prohibiting more than one shower per week in Mammoth Lakes.
Nothing convenient about my life I work my ass off!
Well No sweat and Altitude we all take our convenient lives for granted, why let the LA snobs take the water they get for granted at the expense of the living beings that I have grown to care so much about???
When LA was buying all the water rights to the Owens and Long valley do you really think they were going to overlook Mammoth Creek? MCWD is going to lose.
I’m not losing any sleep at night worrying that soon the water police will be patrolling the neighborhoods enforcing a one-shower-per-day rule.
Nor concerned that water will be diverted around Mammoth and straight to TinselTown.
Hey Judge Randell- in case you haven’t heard, DWP has been a bunch of lying,cheating thugs for a hundred years. That’s why you are here.
”’ _INADEQUATE REMEDY AT LAW, STAY/INJUNCTION_ 76. LADWP and its residents will continue to suffer adverse and irreparable environmental harm from the Project and the District’s failure to comply with CEQA and other laws in approving and carrying out the Project, as described herein, until and unless this Court provides… Read more »
JP, it depends on what your definition of suffering is. For Los Angeles, not being able to keep the swimming pools filled, wash down sidewalks, have giant lawns that consume water, pesticides, and herbecides then wash it all into the environment is pure torture. Los Angeles and other big cities… Read more »
A little here, a little there, and the small flows add up. First Mammoth, next forty acres. I’m sure the MCWD is right, trust them, there is no case here. Doesn’t that lingo sound familiar to the tune of 42 reasons, oops I mean 43 by now!