HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC RESO 2017-50RESOLUTION NO. 2017 — 50
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NATIONAL CITY
SUPPORTING THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY'S
LONG TERM WATER SUPPLY PLAN AND LITIGATION AGAINST
THE METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
WHEREAS, San Diego County's $222 billion economy and 3.3 million people
depend on the San Diego County Water Authority ("Water Authority") and its member agencies
to provide a reliable water supply at a reasonable cost; and
WHEREAS, the Water Authority is a member agency of the Los Angeles -based
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California ("MWD") that has historically supplied the
Water Authority with water imported from the Colorado River and through the State Water
Project; and
WHEREAS, following a severe drought in which San Diego County experienced
31 % cutbacks in 1991, and was threatened with 50% water supply cutbacks by MWD, a
Declaration of Water Independence and Reliability was declared on July 3, 1996, by San Diego
civic and business leaders; and
WHEREAS, over the past 20 years, the Water Authority and its member
agencies have successfully transformed the San Diego region from being 95% dependent on
MWD in 1990, to approximately 20% by 2020; and
WHEREAS, MWD has fought against the actions the Water Authority has taken
to reduce its MWD water purchases, including, among other things, establishing rates and
charges intended to penalize San Diego and its diversification efforts; and
2040; and
WHEREAS, these overcharges could cumulatively total more than $7 billion by
WHEREAS, the Water Authority has filed four separate lawsuits against MWD,
challenging these rates; and
WHEREAS, a San Francisco Superior Court judge has already ruled in the first
two cases that MWD's rates are illegal, awarded the Water Authority more than $243 million in
damages, costs, pre -judgment interest and attorneys' fees, and directed MWD by writ of
mandate to set lawful rates; and
WHEREAS, MWD has appealed the Court's ruling, denies that it is required to
limit its rates to no more than the cost of the services it provides, and has not changed its rates
in response to the Court's ruling; and
WHEREAS, MWD has engaged and is continuing to engage in a number of
highly questionable financial practices, including overcharging ratepayers $847 million from
2012-2015, of which $189 million was collected from ratepayers in San Diego County, with
$823,493 being overcharged to residents and business in National City; spending more than
$1.2 billion outside of its adopted budgets from 2013-2016; and making plans to spend billions
more without having any plan for how it will allocate these costs; and
Resolution No. 2017 — 50
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WHEREAS, MWD's current financial practices present a grave risk to the people
and economy of Southern California; and
WHEREAS, a reliable, cost -certain and diverse water supply is vital to the
sustained prosperity of all San Diego County citizens and business enterprises.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of
National City that the City of National City fully supports the Water Authority's rate litigation
against MWD, which is necessary to recover illegal rates and charges that may be assessed by
MWD, now and in the future.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City of National City fully supports the
programs of the San Diego County Water Authority and its member agencies, on behalf of San
Diego County, as a free and independent community, to continue to diversify San Diego
County's water supply, free of any program or influence by, or subordination to MWD.
PASSED and ADOPTED this 4th day of April, 2017
ATTEST:
/./
Michael R. Dalla, y Ci Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
George H. Eiser, III
Interim City Attorney
orrison, Mayor
Passed and adopted by the Council of the City of National City, California, on April 4,
2017 by the following vote, to -wit:
Ayes: Councilmembers Cano, Mendivil, Morrison, Rios, Sotelo-Solis.
Nays: None.
Absent: None.
Abstain: None.
AUTHENTICATED BY:
RON MORRISON
Mayor of the City of National City, California
City CI rk of the City of tional City, California
By:
Deputy
HEREBY CERTIFY that the above and foregoing is a full, true and correct copy of
RESOLUTION NO. 2017-50 of the City of National City, California, passed and adopted
by the Council of said City on April 4, 2017.
City Clerk of the City of National City, California
By:
Deputy