2005 LMUD BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ABUSIVE AND CORRUPT

   Left to right: Secretary George Sargent, President Nancy Cardenas, Vice-President Wayne Langston, Al Vazquez lost to Darrell Wood. (Darrell Wood was recalled in 2002) *Treasurer Fred Nagel*Fred Nagel is a Plumas Sierra Rural Cooperative customer. 

LMUD  ABUSES  SPECIAL MEETINGS

No board packets for the public

As expected no copies of the board packet were available to the public. LMUD does this when they don't want the public to be informed. 

 Jerri Kresge told the public that "the contract was not complete and that they were still working on it and the information would be handed out at the  meeting",   

                 yet Fred Nagel stated at the meeting that this was a "form" contract.    

And this was a total bold face lie. The contract was NOT ONLY COMPLETE BUT signed on July 26, 2004 by Davis Power Consultants. 

LMUD has a "regular" meeting scheduled for August 5, 2004. This is not the first time nor will it probably be the last "special" meeting...just days before a regularly scheduled meeting. 

LMUD Board members receive $100 each for this meeting.   RATEPAYERS BEWARE

Only one person attended the Special LMUD meeting. It turns out that there was no urgency, just incredibly bad management by Twitchell. 

The Board was asked about Paragraph 15 of the Davis Contract, none of them knew anything and referred this question to Cady. THE BOARD HAD NOT READ THE DOCUMENTS ?  

The Board was asked to postpone the decision to sign the contract until the regular meeting on August 5. 

They unanimously passed the motion to sign this contract.  WASTEFUL SPENDING IN IT'S FINEST HOUR.

As it turned out, Twitchell went to some meeting and evidently became infatuated with this consultant. She then had to hire him to analyze whether or not Western Area Power Administration will be able to do an "adequate job of scheduling for LMUD"...at $118 per hour. 

Now maybe this consultant has a better phone line to WAPA than Twitchell's phone. It was obvious that Twitchell thought there was a possibility of a problem but didn't know what the problems would be. 

Fred Nagel made an intelligent remark, "It's better to triple check".

Al Vazquez made an equally intelligent remark, "We can't expect a deck of cards to fall perfect".

Langston pushed to hire Don Battles,(ex-LMUD General Manager) at $85 per hour but Twitchell declined this option as she believed that Don Battles was not up to speed with this issue. Langston asked her if she had contacted Battles and Twitchell said that she had not. Langston also stated that LMUD has an abundance of these type of consultants under contract, and why couldn't she use one of these consultants....Twitchell said that she wanted Davis Power Consultants. 

LMUD has known about the August 13, 2003 deadline for the WAPA agreement and suddenly Twitchell was unsure of herself. Twitchell even admitted to the LMUD Board that it would probably be okay to sign with WAPA. 

The point being that LMUD did not allow the public to be adequately informed. 

Cady did the same thing with the Arrowrock MOU. Cady did not present the MOU to the public, but gave the public a summation, his summation which left out a $50 million dollar price tag that LMUD ratepayers were to finance Arrowrock and assume all expenses....

They approved this frivolous contract for work that the General Manager should be able to do, but can't do. Twitchell has demonstrated that she has very limited and almost non-existent skills.  This costs ratepayers hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in additional work contracts. 

The LMUD Board  gave Twitchell an 8% increase recently and extended her contract. LMUD employees received a 3.5 % increase. 

Hey folks......we're in Lassen County..................

LANGSTON ARRESTED FOR DUI on Christmas Eve, 2003. He spends 6 hours in jail on Christmas Day. 

The DA  delayed the arraignment until the story dies down. Then he  dismissed all of the CHP's charges.  The District Attorney is in the back pocket of local politicians

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LANGSTON INCITES OUTRAGE at LMUD meetings

Langston may bring his "personal problems" to the LMUD meetings. If he has a drinking problem, this may explain Langstons irrational behavior at the LMUD meetings.

Wayne Langston (center) disrupts LMUD meeting 

because he doesn't like what was being said. LMUD: Langstons Municipal Utility District

Langston throws KWH member out, during the five minutes allowed for public comment,  because he didn't like what was being said.

"I don't want to hear your comments anymore", 

Langston said 

You can be kicked out of a LMUD meeting now in "Public Comment" if Langston doesn't like what you are saying.  

Where's the Newspaper ?.....they should be protesting this action by Langston.....the Lassen County Times did not mention anything about the five Brown Act Violations Langston committed,  but you would only expect that from a reputable newspaper .

Link  KWH response to the Lassen County Times slant on the violations

Shayla Ashmore was given the LMUD Brown Act Violations and for self-serving reasons, chose not to publish it in her biased editorial. The Brown Act does not allow UNREASONABLE RULES. 

 LANGSTONS GANG CAN MAKE A RULE THAT EVERYONE HAS TO WEAR BLACK SHOES ..then they can throw you out of a meeting if you aren't wearing black shoes. It's that simple.       

It's that abusive. 

LMUD NEEDS BETTER LEGAL ADVICE LINK       Private dishonesty of public Officials        

LMUD wants to reschedule the "regular" meeting on January 1, 2004 but they want to change it to a "special" meeting.

LMUD is calling SPECIAL meetings so they can limit public discussion further. In the past, this also delays all of the "public's business".  The LMUD Board of Directors think that you won't notice irregularities if they are two months old.....

{LMUD called a "special"  meeting on October 29, 2003 to avoid the press covering the 2002/2003 Audit report} The LMUD "regular" meeting was a week later.  Bill Stewart could not answer the publics concern about the discrepancies in the 2002 numbers used. 

"White Collar" Crime alive and well in Lassen County

Nancy Cardenas, Treasurer still attending phantom meetings

Three Board members discussing LMUD business prior to meeting

KWH filed a complaint in January 2003 due to the phantom meetings the LMUD Board of Directors were paid for. 

Bill Stewart, LMUD Controller

Bill Stewart releases an erroneous financial report to the newspapers 

Bill Stewart states in the "Ruralite" that LMUD removed a surcharge

Bill Stewart now wants or NEEDS an assistant because Bill Stewart does not know how to do anything...why else would he end up at LMUD.

Bill Stewart asked for a part-time assistant, at the November 6, 2003 LMUD meeting.  The list of duties for this part-time assistant seemed to include all of the duties and responsibilities of the Controller.  

During the General Managers presentation to the LMUD Board, she could not even tell the Board of Directors how much this is going to cost the ratepayers.

The action is null and void because the action required a Resolution. 

Bill Stewart has been seen wearing a T-shirt:

"So much to do, so few people to do it for me"

Ratepayers paid for Bob Gaumond to help Stewart for six months after Stewart was hired.   After Gaumond left, all Stewart could produce were monthly CASH REPORTS. 

LMUD has used Bill Stewart for everything except accounting. He appears often in the newspaper on Public Benefit issues.  If memory serves correctly....we hired a Public Benefits Coordinator.  

Stewart used foreign numbers for the 2002/2003 financials submitted to the auditor. Stewart admitted that the 2002 numbers he used did, in fact, not match the numbers in the 2001/2002 audit. The 2002 figures Stewart used for comparison can not differ from an audited financial report...but they do. 

Stewart appears to be unprepared to do the accounting for this small utility.  Stewart allowed the Board members to be overpaid and Board members expenses to be hidden.....all on Stewarts watch.  

LMUD PASSES NEPOTISM

RESOLUTION 2003-09

LMUD is starting to hire employees relatives. There is nothing wrong with that. 

The fact that LMUD passes a "Anti-nepotism" policy and the policy states that any relative can be hired by LMUD,  IS A JOKE.

nepotism, favoritismn in hiring shown to relatives, disregarding claims of others better fitted for the position.

This resolution was introduced and passed because LMUD hired the Boards Secretary, Jeri Kresge's daughter and that LMUD is now hiding employees. 

LMUD EMPLOYEES HAVE "OPEN CHARGE ACCOUNT" AT CASINO

LMUD has set up accounts at local restaurants, but costs for free food for employees and management are rising. 

2001- $214.26       2002- $2491.57         2003- $1867.53(as of 8/31/03)

 RATEPAYERS PAY FOR FREE MEALS  Link

LMUD General Managers have paid for meals when employees work overtime.....these meals are for lunches ????????

The Diamond Mountain Casino was paid $520.00 for one month of  meals. The Saint Francis Hotel Restaurant, $358.15, Pizza Factory $140.77, Seven Acres $83.73.   LMUD has always thrown great parties.....................? Lobster anyone....Other accounts for LMUD employees, Buffalo Chips, Country Kitchen, Walkers Coffee Shop, Primo Deli, Hart's, Black Bear, Frosty Mill, Idaho Grocery, Champion Steakhouse......