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August 30, 2022
By Brian Hews
With her husband-attorney Ron Wilson firmly behind her like a dog on a leash ready to strike, Central Basin Water Director Leticia Vasquez will file a lawsuit against most anyone, and she will slander and defame her perceived enemies because Ron-Dog will switch collars and defend her in court…..just ask CB GM Alex Rojas.
Central Basin Director Leticia Vasquez-Wilson Defames General Manager and Agency’s Staff
Her latest foray into the absurd occurred when she shot a video claiming Downey and Pico Rivera Water District’s water “was undrinkable.”
Yes, Vasquez said in a published video that a city’s water supply was “undrinkable.”
The per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances known as PFAS or “forever chemicals” were high in Downey and Pico but, like most wells in L.A. County, were within California’s safety range at the time and completely drinkable.
In the video, Vasquez-Wilson shockingly identified herself as a Central Basin Water Director, exposing the Commerce-based water agency to major defamation litigation.
But Vasquez knows she is teflon against claims, she has Crime Dog Ron waiting in the dog-house….and he does not cost anything…maybe a biscuit or two.
According to CB officials, once the video was published on YouTube, the District received several phone calls and a cease and desist letter from Downey advising that the District could face litigation for the false claims that Vasquez-Wilson was making in her communications.
Under advice from CB’s attorney to protect itself, the District filed an injunction lawsuit against Vasquez-Wilson for the videos she made and some letters she sent to our purveyors/cities.
Central Basin Sues Dir. Leticia Vasquez for ‘Libelous’ Statements in YouTube Video
Vasquez-Wilson and her crony Director-ally Martha Camacho Rodriguez tried to get out in front of it laughably calling CB’s lawsuit a civil rights violation and a violation of free speech and ordered Crime Dog Ron to file their own lawsuit against CB.
But the District was strategic in their move.
The District filed a lawsuit to determine one of two things, whether Vasquez-Wilson, in her videos/letters, gave the impression that she was speaking on behalf of the District and therefore was in violation of its Administrative Code or that Director Vasquez-Wilson was not speaking on behalf of the District and that her comments/communications belonged to her as an individual.
The judge ruled that the communications did not rise to the level of District representation, interesting given the fact VW identified herself as a Central Basin Director .
But, and this is a big but, it was the judge’s opinion that Vasquez-Wilson was speaking as an individual not a representative of the District.
Vasquez-Wilson and her Rabid Ron-Dog immediately trumpeted that they won their case, but the decision has opened them up to personal liability, which is what CB wanted.
As a result of the judge’s decision, Vasquez-Wilson will now be personally liable, and not the District, if she should upload other videos or send ill-conceived letters or other communications slamming a city’s residential services.
In addition, the judge dismissed the case “without prejudice,” which further clouded VW and the Ron-Dog’s claim they won the case.
A dismissal with prejudice means that the ruling is the final judgment in the case; the dismissal prohibits the District from refiling the charges.
In a dismissal without prejudice, the District can refile the charges (or file new charges based on the same circumstances) at some future time which means that if Vasquez-Wilson engages in similar behavior in the future, the District can bring the issue back while filing new charges in a lawsuit.
President Art Chacon told HMG-CN, “The District is committed to holding itself accountable for its actions; however, it will no longer assume responsibility, or provide legal services, for the rouge behavior of any individual board member. We have worked hard to implement board protocols and governance procedures that have resulted in a complete turnaround of the District earning the respect of our customers and elected officials in Sacramento. We remain committed to sustaining that progress.”
