Monterey Peninsula water lawsuit heads to appeals court
A quasi-governmental agency has appealed a Monterey County Superior Court decision that ruled the agency overstepped its bounds when it blocked a regional water district from acquiring the local assets of California American Water Co. In January 2022, the Local Area Formation Commission, or LAFCO, denied the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District’s petition for what’s called the district’s latent powers to buy out Cal Am’s local infrastructure. Latent powers essentially refer to whether or not the water district has the financial wherewithal and expertise to acquire and operate the Cal Am system. The water district sued, alleging the behavior of several LAFCO commissioners in denying the petition was inappropriate.