Atascadero water hike sought

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• Nipomo district puts water pipeline process in motion

  Nipomo district puts water pipeline process in motion

  Nipomo Mesa residents could vote as soon as March whether to increase their property taxes to pay for construction of a pipeline to bring water from Santa Maria.

  The Nipomo Community Services District board voted Wednesday to move ahead with the process to create an assessment district to fund the estimated $25.3 million capital cost of the pipeline.

  The board also agreed that the cost of the actual water delivered from Santa Maria would be covered through water rate hikes — a separate process in which local residents affected by the rate increase would have a chance to vote against it.

• Water rate hike disputed by customers

  Water rate hike disputed by customers

  More than 100 people from as far away as Ojai packed the South Bay Community Center in Los Osos on Friday afternoon to protest hefty rate increases proposed by Golden State Water Co.

  The private water company has customers throughout the state and county, including in Los Osos, Edna Valley and Nipomo. It is proposing various rate increases depending on location, with some of the biggest for 3,300 customers in Los Osos and Edna Valley where rates would go up 48.9 percent for a typical home in 2013.

  The state Public Utilities Commission held the meeting to get customer feedback. It must approve any rate increase and expects to make a decision a year from now, said Administrative Law Judge Richard Smith, who is hearing the case.

• Atascadero water bills could rise up to 7.5 percent next year

  Atascadero water bills could rise up to 7.5 percent next year

  Atascadero water users could see an increase of up to 7.5 percent on their bills in 2012, according to a new proposal to go before the private utility’s board of directors.

• Double-digit rate increase is an outrageous request

  Double-digit rate increase is an outrageous request

  Golden State Water Co. has a rebellion on its hands. It deserves it. In several communities across the state, ratepayers are boiling over steep rate increases the water purveyor is requesting from the California Public Utilities Commission.

  Overall, the company is seeking a $58 million increase from its 256,000 customers in 2013, followed by anearly $9 million increase in 2014 and another $11 million in 2015. Customers— as well as some of the public officials who represent them — have been outraged.

  Ojai residents have asked a local agency, the Casitas Municipal Water District, to use the power of eminent domain to buy out the water company and take over service.

• Hefty water rate hike proposed for Los Osos, Edna Valley

  Hefty water rate hike proposed for Los Osos, Edna Valley

  For the second year in a row, Golden State Water Co. is proposing a hefty rate increase for its 3,300 customers in Los Osos and Edna Valley starting in 2013.

  A smaller increase is proposed for customers the company serves in part of Nipomo.

  The water purveyor has filed a request with the California Public Utilities Commission to set new rates for 2013 through 2015. This follows a 27.2 percent rate increase approved last year by the CPUC for 2011 and 2012.