Bloody Coup at Feather River Canyon CSD (Part 2)

Subject: Bloody Coup at the Feather River Canyon CSD  (Part Two)

Six PM arrived with me still oblivious to the events about to unfold. I can't think about this without regretting that I did not record it, but I was too blindsided to show such coolness under fire. Good thing I was never in combat. Because I don't have a transcript I'll have to paraphrase those bits I remember and settle for high points for now. I will be demanding a copy of the minutes, though they'll no doubt be expurgated of the worst of the libels that hit me.

I my mind's eye, Rocki Norris began her first night as Chair with a gavel, but that probably false, as was my estimation of that small room with fifty people crowded into it, but I can say that from the perspective of a person with an entire crowd glaring at him like a newly discovered child molester, it felt like at least that many. It was probably realistically half of that. In my memory Rocki's, prim, pinched,arrogant and deep-down-mean face morphs with that of the actress Louise Fletcher playing Nurse Ratched in the classic "One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest":

Rocki began by introducing herself and then began reading a prepared statement. (A! Prepared! Statement!) which she read for what seemed to me lasted forever. As I remember it, it was a basic, self-congrdulatory speech, a political speech which eventually turned directly to me.

ASIDE

I interrupt the narrative with what will one of several asides. The Feather River Canyon CSD is what is known as a Community Service District and, as such comes under certain laws concerning that its activities are transparent to public view. In particular the Brown Act requires that the organization publish in advance an agenda which is put up on bulletin boards, mostly in post offices such as mine. The Agenda has a simple format: 1.) Reading the minutes from the previous meeting, additions & corrections and acceptance. 2.) the Treasurer's Report (That's my cue and this month is was to be quit5e complex.) 3.) Old Business 4.) New Business.

END ASIDE

When Rocki ignored all that and began the meeting by her attack on me, I'll be researching the law in the hopes of finding that she broke the law in her first move.

As I remember her speech, it was Blah, Blah Blah, we are pubic servants blah must present a united front blah blah must all be friends on the board blah blah and so until until she grabbed my attention from my my report when she mentioned my name. looking at me directly (as did the entire seated crowd turn to me with what I now remember as gleams in their eyes.) She read from many excerpts from my previous emails, many of which I had cc'd to her when I wrote others. While I do not remember her exact words I have no problem with the emails, all of which I've archived so her's exactly what I wrote to my neighbors' the Wilsons and which she repeatedly called harassment:

Jeffery,

As I've said before, I hate being in the position as bill collector but this is a reminder that we have not received your water payment for August.

Also, it's very important that we talk about the thousands of gallons Cynthia Garcia wastes every day and who refuses to  modify her behavior. If she is doing this on her own, it's imperative you put a stop to it. If she is watering moss, lichen, tree trunks, tree branches, dirt  and building roofs with our precious and expensive  drinking water at your behest, we have a big problem which we as a board will have to consider carefully.

If flat rate water users will not change their behavior to reflect that we no longer have unlimited creek water but rather have to pay for every drop, we will have to consider fines, higher rates and/or mandatory  water meters for those who blatantly waste our water. As far as I'm concerned, I've never seen anything so bad as what Cynthia does and it kills me to sit down at the post office and watch her. I'm afraid I will say something to her I will later regret so I don't speak to her at all.

John

ASIDE

To evaluate my tone directed to the Wilsons, and remember that landlord Dorothy Wilson told my neighbors Bert & Marie that not to worry about wasting water as there's a sixty year supply (total nonsense) as the issue was not the amount of water replenishing the aquifer but rather what it was costing us in electricity to pump it. As you can see, during the months I was pushing conservation the cost more than doubled. That's what pissed me off and I have not changed one word in my mind, though I do wish I had used the beanmaster rather than the FRCCSD email address.

Damn, I was just going to begin on the much greater problem of Rocki's community, gated and snooty Old Mill Ranch. But it's time to leave for the PO and I will get to Part Three tonight. This story will probably take numerous episodes but when it goes on the website it will be further flushed out.