________________________
________________________
Central Basin GM Kevin Hunt
BY BRIAN HEWS
The hefty attorney’s fees at Central Basin Municipal Water District (CB), which have hit over $53,000 per month during the past six months, have finally come home to roost at the Commerce-based water agency.
The origin of the fees lies squarely on the shoulders of General Manager Kevin Hunt, who had a hand in two current lawsuits, and a hand in another that is pending.
The city of Huntington Park is suing CB alleging that Hunt fixed the appointment process of CB Vice-President John Oskoui, illegally disqualifying Huntington Park resident Dr. Mike Gomez while appointing Oskoui.
The appointment process was put in place after Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia’s (D-Bell Gardens) ill-conceived AB 1794 passed, allowing Hunt to appoint three (non-elected) Directors to the CB Board, Directors who have no direct accountability to the ratepayers and only to their own interests.
And Hunt has used the bill to pack the board with friendly votes ever since.
The second lawsuit involves former CB employee Ron Bielke, who is suing CB for the unlawful release of his personal health records to the Los Angeles Times.
The records were leaked to reporter Adam Elmharek, who eventually wrote a one-sided article somehow accusing Bielke of staging his fall and injury for financial gain, an injury where he nearly broke his neck and endured several major surgeries.
Because of these lawsuits, CB was forced to consider severe budget cuts and revenue enhancements which culminated in actions taken at yesterday’s CB Board meeting.
The cuts involved laying off as many as five employees, though none were named during the meeting.
Longtime CB Director Art Chacon, who called into the board meeting while on vacation, was incensed at the layoffs.
Chacon and Director Phil Hawkins have been vocal opponents of CB’s current law firm, Nossaman, and Hunt’s litigious exploits, lodging several no votes when Hunt moved to increase Nossaman’s $25,000 budget every month.
Chacon immediately motioned to cut Hunt’s pay by half, instead of cutting employees, but Hunt’s board packing, a result of Asm. Garcia’s AB 1794, prevented that action.
Voting yes to cut Hunt’s pay was Directors Chacon, Hawkins, Leticia Vasquez, and Martha Camacho-Rodriguez.
Voting no were all Hunt appointees: Vice-President Oskoui and Directors Dan Arrighi, and Frank Heldman.
ALL APPOINTED BY HUNT: from (l-r) CB Directors Frank Heldman, Dan Arrighi, and VP John Oskoui
The final vote was Hunt ally and Board President Bob Apodaca, who, among several other costly actions over the past ten years, hired disgraced former GM Art Aguilar, contracted with Ron and Tom Calderon, and was involved in a sexual harassment claim that cost CB over $670,000.
Chacon tried once again to save CB employees by motioning for a per-meter charge of $4.68. The per-meter charge has been a topic of discussion for months, but the board had yet to settle on a final amount.
But the block of President Apodaca, Oskoui, Arrighi, and Heldman voted the rate increase down, instead voting for a $2 charge, sealing the fate of the CB employees while saving Hunt from a cut in pay.
Director Hawkins voted yes for the $2 charge but was able to secure another board vote in three months for a possible increase.
The one thing that is for certain here is that Kevin Hunt is getting kickbacks from Nossaman. I have been to board meetings and when Hunt present the monthly Nossaman overages he goes on to fight the Board over their protests of excessive billings.
Hunt cries about the jeopardy the board is putting the district under if they refuse to fund these outrageous charges and then he condemns the opposing directors as being irresponsible. It’s truly an amazing sight to see.
And when the board asks for any type of explanation, Hunt goes into his confidentiality routine and swears that they’ll all go to hell if they talk about any of the charges. It’s a farce!!
At a time when the district is so broke that they have to lay off people, are at risk of their bonds being downgraded to junk, and when Hunt pushes rate increases and meter charges, CENTRAL BASIN SHOULD NOT BE PAYING THESE OUTRAGEOUS LEGAL BILLS.
Some derelict board members are purposely creating lawsuits and then counting on getting bad advice so legal fees continue to explode! It’s time for this agency to be taken over by Metropolitan Water, just not WRD because those guys are true mafia crooks in every sense.
I worked at CB back when Beilke was employed there. At the time the place was imploding. Art Aguilar, Bob Apodaca, Tom Calderon, Ernie Camacho and Doug Wance ran the place. Those guys probably pocket a million among them during the time of the groundwater study. It’s a sad sight to see. The place was in need of some serious reform.
Then taking the place from bad to worse, Apodaca got his buddies Leticia Vasquez and James Roybal elected. These two rank as probably the worse I ever saw on that Board and that includes Big Al Robles and Leon Garcia just to name a few.
Low and behold, just when the fire was being turned up, Beilke passed out and nearly broke his neck in a very serious accident. Then while on disability, those numb nuts fired him, the GM and attorney. Beilke ended up suing and after spending over a million fighting his case, the District settled for around 1/2 million thus costing a settlement $1.5 million that only existed because Apodaca, Vasquez and Roybal were first-class idiots!
It is inconceivable tho be that someone at the District would be stupid enough to go into Beilke’s confidential personnel file and reslease documents to the press!! What were they thinking. The case was over 5-6 years ago and now some chump goes begging for a tailor-made lawsuit that violates a former employees right to confidentiality. What’s the District’s excuse? Was there a Watergate-style break-in or did his files get hijacked on the way to the shredder? What possible defense could they have and why are they now paying any legal fees for a case that can’t be won?
I may have retired but I count of the District to continue to pay my benefits and mediacal reimbursements. If they go bankrupt I’m screwed. Central Basin Board Members, please settle this case quickly while you still have a chance🙏
Law firms pay the best kickbacks! That’s Government 101. I’m sure Apodaca and Hunt have that place on lockdown. I’m just really shocked that those “appointed” directors who earned their seats in Cristina Garcia’s stupid plan to expand the board would enable these ridiculous actions. Settle these case, mediate and cut your loses. I’m mean, has Central Basin EVER WON A CASE against them?
Beilke has a slam dunk case. It is against HIPA rules to release any confidential personal data on an employee. The fact that the Times got Beilke’s file is outrageous! He deserves to stick it to those clowns. How insulting. Whoever is found to have access to the file should be fired immediately, especially if it was Hunt trying to drive up legal fees to attain kickbacks? Where’s the DA? That place is a criminal enterprises.
Never mind the D A. Why haven’t people been fired?
Why would someone do something like this. You would think elected officials would Safeguard public money. Sounds like a bunch of incompetence