Editorial from June 27, 2007

"Set the DWP free"

By Danielle Seckler

   With the ongoing brouhaha about the DWP’s commercial water rate increase, many in the valley wonder if the DWP should be independent of the City of Big Bear Lake. Most of the customer base of the DWP lives outside of the Big Bear Lake city limits. The DWP has about 15,400 total customers in the valley; from which about 400 commercial accounts are located in Big Bear Lake from the total 825 commercial accounts. However, according to the city charter, the DWP falls under the power of the City Council. City Council appoints DWP board members who only live within Big Bear Lake and must approve their budgets, rate changes, and ordinances. After the last couple of weeks, we can imagine that the DWP board wishes they were accountable only to their entire customer base and they made it clear that recent statements made by the City Council were a ‘no confidence’ and they were ‘pandering’ to a minority group of their customer base.

   The rift between residential and the commercial customers will continue; with residents feeling like they get to pay more for the future safety and well being than the businesses. The rift between customers within the city limits and those who live outside of the city limits will continue. Those who live in County, including Fawnskin, Sugarloaf, and Erwin Lake, are wondering why should the City Council members make decisions for their welfare, when they have no one to represent them.

   Well kids, it is all about power and getting more than anyone else. They are elected by Big Bear Lake residents and their responsibility is to their constituents only. The City Council will not give up their power.

   To change the power structure over the DWP, the residents of Big Bear Lake would have to change the city charter by petition of the registered voters. So, it becomes a question of whether or not the Big Bear Lake residents want to make the change. It is clear the commercial businesses inside the city limits do not want to and we have not heard any cry from residents that there needs to be a change.

   This is another example of the East vs. West division in the valley. It is not to say that DWP board members who live within Big Bear Lake can not make decisions for those who live outside. They can and seem to generally want to do what is right for all their customers. It is a perceptional. People outside do not feel that this is true. They want their own people to make decisions and certainly not the elected officials of Big Bear Lake. They can’t vote for the Big Bear Lake City Council, so they don’t feel that they are accountable to the ‘out-of-towners’, leaving them to wonder if the DWP can be set free.

   This valley has so many agencies that lord over the people, making decisions while having conflict of interests. Water in this valley is divided between three agencies; BBL, CSD, and the lake authorities. There are 5 fire departments; BBL, BBC, County, California Fire Department and the forest service. The fire departments tend to work well together, especially when fire hits. Yet, underneath the comradely each department works independently, looking out for their power and constituents.

   It’s a wonder that anything gets done or does it? No one knows how much water we have. The two planning commissions build without leaving open or green space, or even knowing if there is enough water/fire infrastructures to sustain a growing community. All of these questions make people fearful. Will there be enough water to put out a fire? When I turn on the tap, will there be water? If the valley continues to grow and open/green space is not reserved, will the valley become the suburbia that most moved away from? While fires rage near Tahoe and remembering back to the Old Fire in 2003, will the evacuation routes be able to sustain more and more people fleeing a disaster?

   It all makes peoples heads spin.

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