LOS ANGELES _ Authorities voted Wednesday to dissolve the troubled Sativa Los Angeles County Water District after customers in Compton and Willowbrook complained of foul drinking water.
The unanimous vote by L.A. County's Local Agency Formation Commission, which monitors special districts such as Sativa, kicks off a lengthy process to get rid of a water district that has been accused of delivering smelly brown water, financial mismanagement, nepotism and other wrongdoing.
It is the third time that LAFCO has tried to take over or merge Sativa with a larger water provider. But members said at Wednesday's meeting that they are committed to providing Sativa customers with clean drinking water, which they no longer have faith the district can provide.
"There's a concern about the fact that there have been promises made by the prior board, the general manager and yet it's not getting better," said Commissioner Kathryn Barger, who also serves as a county supervisor.
Sativa delivers drinking water to 1,600 homes. Customers pay a flat rate of $65 a month, which brings in about $1.3 million in revenue a year.
Sativa says it lacks the estimated $10 million to $15 million needed to upgrade the 70-year-old pipes responsible for depositing manganese in drinking water, which can make faucets run brown.
For years, customers noticed that discolored water occasionally poured from their taps. Earlier this year, they said it got worse and complaints of brown or urine-colored water that sometimes smelled of chlorine or rust mounted.
County officials say despite elevated levels of manganese, the water is safe to drink. Still, supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Janice Hahn launched a separate effort Tuesday petitioning the State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday to hand over daily operations of Sativa to the county's Department of Public Works and provide funding.
"For too long, government _ at all levels _ has allowed Sativa to operate without sufficient oversight," Ridley-Thomas said in a statement issued Tuesday. "The county is willing to step up to facilitate the changes that are necessary to promote the public health and well-being of Sativa customers."
The push to dissolve Sativa comes two days after several Sativa customers filed a class-action lawsuit that accuses Sativa of failing to provide quality drinking water, misappropriating taxpayer dollars and causing a financial burden on its low-income customers.
Sativa has also faced scrutiny after the Los Angeles Times reported allegations that the district had hired paid supporters to attend a June forum to address dirty water. Sativa's board and its administrative manager, Maria Rachelle Garza, strongly denied any involvement. Days later, Garza was placed on leave.
LAFCO's latest effort to shutter Sativa and find a new operator could take months or years _ if it is successful at all.
Sativa successfully fended off two previous attempts to dissolve the district, in 2005 and 2012.
Thomas Martin, a former Sativa general manager recently rehired as interim general manager, pleaded for LAFCO to give the water district time to fix its problems.
"What I would like to ask the commission today is to please considering tabling this item or continuing it for at least 60 to 90 days so that I have time to analyze everything and also bring you back more information," he said. "We need more time to bring back information that would be satisfactory for LAFCO."
He said Sativa obtained funding from the Water Replenishment Department of Southern California to address some water issues.
Hahn, one of the most vocal critics against Sativa, questioned the work Martin has done in his time at the water district.
"There's been a lot of false promises that have not been fulfilled," she said. "Clearly, the problem still exists, so you didn't really solve the problems when you were general manager."
After the vote to dissolve, the crowd erupted in applause and cheered.
"I feel happy," said Teresa Aguirre, 44, who was among the 50 so attendees. "We're finally making progress."
