Response and Challenge by Mike Rotkin to Paul Gratz regarding Desalination

Dear Friend,

You recently received the following email from Paul Gratz, one of the leaders of Desal Alternatives. Unfortunately, not ONE statement in his email is accurate. Of course anybody can say anything in an email without having anybody able to review it factually. But these claims are so over the top and obviously false -- for example, does he have ANY evidence that the Parks and Recs Department is advising against water conservation? Ridiculous! So, while up til now, the debate between Desal Alternatives and others has been about emphasis on facts, disagreement over the feasibility of solutions, etc. we are now in new territory. I hereby, publicly declare Paul Gratz to be a liar and challenge him to produce one shred of evidence in support of his false claims in this email. And, of course, if they have the time, I have no problem with the press or anyone else investigating these spurious allegations.

mike
Mike Rotkin
Former Five-time Mayor of the City of Santa Cruz

Begin Forwarded message:

Santa Cruz Water Department Moles Leaking on Desal

Over the past three months, several Water Department employees and consultants who have requested anonymity have offered privately -- for fear of retribution -- the following corroborated insights:

* Top management exerts pressure on staff and consultants not to discuss the desalination plant or the Right to Vote on Desal Campaign.

* Management continually conveys to staff that the desalination plant will be built and that their job security depends on the project going forward.

* The majority of staff and consultants support implementing an array of desalination options and intend to sign, along with their family and friends, the Right to Vote on Desal initiative petition.

* If the Right to Vote Desal measure is passed in November and new City Council members are elected, staff will come forward to openly criticize what they describe as Bill Kocker's intimidation-based management style and his disinformation practices.

* Steven DeCinzo's desalination cartoons (attached) are widely circulated and appreciated within the Department.

* UCSC growth is the fundamental driver for building an expandable desalination plant.

* The Parks and Recreation Department is not encouraged to reduce water usage, especially with regard to landscaping and golf course irrigation, since aggressive conservation would reduce the Water Department's revenue generation requirements.

* Many of the area's biggest residential water consumers are also Chamber of Commerce leaders and major campaign donors to pro-desalination city council members and candidates.

* The Purchasing Department is currently determining the desalination plant and pipeline component specifications and preparing to order them.

These claims made by Water Department employees and consultants suggest that the push for desalination is linked to an agenda that is less-than-transparent. As has been pointed out many times, the reasons for NOT allocating funds and time to fully explore the more economical, less damaging alternatives have not been openly addressed by the City.

I urge the local press to thoroughly and carefully investigate these claims presented above.

-- Paul Gratz

831.426.1150