LADWP seeks best odds for “water grab”
The City of Los Angeles (LADWP) has recently filed two lawsuits against the Mammoth Community Water District, seeking to invalidate MCWD’s water rights for surface water supply from Mammoth Creek. The District considers these lawsuits to be without merit, and is taking aggressive actions to defend the community’s water rights. These water rights, according to MCWD General Manager Greg Norby, properly issued by the State of California, go back nearly 50 years, and have been put to beneficial and well managed use by the community. The consequences of LA prevailing in these lawsuits would be severe and long lasting.
LADWP has filed a number of court motions related to these lawsuits in Mono County Superior Court, one of which seeks to change the court venue from Mono County to Fresno County, where “LA’s attorneys believe the Fresno area courts will be more sympathetic to their water grab,” Norby said in a letter. The District believes strongly that Mono County water issues should be adjudicated in Mono County, where the fullest appreciation of the impacts of any legal decisions can be expected.
The change of venue hearing will be held on Thursday April 12, at 9:30 a.m., at the courthouse in Mammoth Lakes.
Norby urged community members to attend the hearing “to demonstrate to the presiding judge and Judicial Council that this case is of critical importance to the citizens of Mammoth Lakes and the larger Mono County community, and should rightfully be heard in the local courts.”
If you have questions about the lawsuits, the actions the District is taking, or what you can do to help stop LA’s water grab, visit MCWD’s website at http://www.mcwd.dst.ca.us/
