You can still vote for directors until July 7. You can vote even if you were not at the meeting, and it does not matter if you submitted a proxy. Without your ballot, there may be no quorum and no decision. To get your ballot, call 805-482-2001 or email crestviewwater@live.com.
In response to a shareholder question, only Alma Quezada and Laurie Bennett committed to serve out their terms if reelected. Roger Whitlock said he is “up in the air” about that. Doug Off is moving to Montana in the next 6-12 months. Sol Chooljian ignored the question.
The June 30 meeting was adjourned to July 28, when we learn if there was a quorum for this meeting and, if so, who won. At the meeting, 975.353 shares were present in person or by proxy, which is 274.147 shares short of a quorum. This final count will be increased by proxies postmarked by June 30, by ballots postmarked by July 7, and by proxies put into the lock box at the meeting.
Crestview may reapply for a permit for Well #7 at 191 Alviso, which can be done one year after the County denied the previous application. This may be why Crestview has refused to write off the $879,198 spent on Well #7. In response to a question, president Sol Chooljian said, “We are continuing to look—going over technology questions. We will not give up.” Previously, he had denied that any work was being done on Well #7, and there has been no activity reported by the GM on Well #7 since December 2021, when he reported that it was on hold pending guidance from the board. The fact that Chooljian shut down efforts to look for alternative sites and the refusal to sell 191 Alviso also signal his intention.
The General Manager reported we are still using too much water and may have to stop the pumps in November and buy imported water, cut back watering to one day per week, and pay penalties to Calleguas. Our consumption is down only 18%, and it needs to go down by 20-25%. Eye on Water can help us track usage vs. last year and make irrigation adjustments. He also reported Well #4 is back online, but the water quality is a little lower and it may wear out in 5-7 years.
Those hoping there would be an independent Inspector of Elections this year were disappointed when Chooljian announced that long-time Office Manager Lauri Marino is the Inspector, making her solely responsible for everything in California Corporations Code section 7614. Consultant Brad Milner was hired to do some of the work, but Marino (and Crestview management and lawyers) will be making all the important decisions about how proxies and ballots are approved as valid, interpreted, and counted. No procedure has been created for challenging their decisions–or even to know what the decisions were.