LAMONT, Calif. (KERO) — A recent report by the Kern County Grand Jury is calling out the Lamont Storm Water District for being dysfunctional.
- Kern County Grand Jury reports Lamont Storm Water District is dysfunctional and failing its community obligations.
- The district was established in 1984 to protect against flooding but has not fulfilled its purpose.
- Community voices are not being heard due to the district's lack of advisory capacity and quorum.
- The Grand Jury has presented two options: dissolve the district or reactivate it with a new resident quorum.
- A decision from the Local Agency Formation Commission and the Board of Supervisors is expected by July 1st.
For your convenience, the skimmable summary above is generated with the assistance of AI and fact checked by our team prior to publication. Read the full story as originally reported below.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Kern County Grand Jury is claiming that the Lamont Storm Water District has failed to provide Lamont with flood protection, so much, that no one really knows about it’s existence.
The Lamont Storm Water District was formed in 1984. Its purpose, to make improvements to the community to protect it from flooding and related damages. However, the Kern County Grand Jury found that the District has failed to protect the community. And it's something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Lamont residents.
"I thought it was needed time for the Grand Jury to do a report," said Lamont Resident and Advocate Timoteo Prado. "I feel like the Lamont Storm Water District has really forgotten its duties and obligations as elected officials."
23ABC attempted to contact the District, but according to the report, LSWD no longer has an office space, administrative staff, phones, or a website.
I contacted local leaders, including Kern County Supervisor David Couch, for information regarding the current LSWD board. However, they too were unaware of the district’s leadership.
"They should have meetings like any elected board, they’re not advertised to the public. To this day, I don’t know where they meet," said Prado.
According to the report, the District is not serving in an advisory capacity, therefore, the concerns of the community are not being heard. The report also found that the District does not have a quorum, therefore preventing it from conducting business.
The Grand Jury is leaving it up to the Local Agency Formation Commission---LAFCo---and the Kern County Board of Supervisors to decide on the future of the district, giving them two options:
- To get rid of the district for being inactive and having the board of supervisors take control of the finances and flood control, OR
- To reactivate and have the Board of Supervisors name a quorum made up of district residents.
In a statement to 23ABC, Kern LAFCo says in part, “The County of Kern and Kern LAFCo have been ongoing to determine the best way to respond and, more importantly, to develop a plan to serve the Lamont area. As of now, a definitive route forward has not been established.”
Despite the report's findings about the district, Lamont resident and local advocate Timoteo Prado says he favors keeping the board.
"Local democracy begins at the root level and if they take over, I feel like I would have to go advocate to four individuals who don’t live in my community," said Prado.
LAFCo and the Board of Supervisors are expected to decide on the future of the District and respond to the Grand Jury by July 1st.
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