Water rates have dropped by as much as 65 percent in Ojai after Golden State Water Company was essentially fired by its customers in a 2013 election vote that raised a $60 million bond to buy it out via eminent domain. But the road between then and now was paved with lawsuits and appeals, culminating in a bill sponsored by Assemblymember Monique Limón that officially took Golden State off the governing board of the Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency on July 9. It's now up to the board to find a replacement boardmember, who must be from the area formerly served by Golden State.
After the grassroots group Ojai FLOW (Friends for Locally Owned Water) and an 87.4 percent vote by water customers approved Casitas Municipal Water District as their new water provider, Golden State resisted. It filed lawsuits and appealed when it lost, including to the California Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case.
The appeal papers state that the private water company charged more than double Ojai's two municipal providers: Casitas and Ventura River Water District. For all the money it got, Golden State left a water system that was "decrepit, in very, very bad shape," said Russ Baggerly, a member of the groundwater agency board and the Casitas water district.