TMC: Thirty Miles of Corruption

Yep, Back at You Ratepayer!

What the hell is an ‘Utilities Integration Manager’?  We at TMC are still attempting to figure it out.  This job title is what government does best: six-figure patronage jobs awarded not on merit, but on loyalty to “the program”.  And exactly what is “the program”?  Well, if you haven’t figure it out yet…after the new library tax, the increased hotel tax, the continuation of the water tax, the new sales tax, the new school bonds, the new gas tax, and the slew of lawsuits lining up to sue Riverside back into the Stone Age for illegal taxation…”the program” is: taking your money.

But we have have a sense of humor.  Justin Scott-Coe is what we refer to in these parts as big government RECYCLED TRASH!  First at Monte Vista Water District and now he’s ours…

CLICK ON ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE

…except there’s no 5 cent return fee.  Above is the employment letter from his new boss, Drunk Daddy, a.k.a. RPU General Manager Girish Balachandrin.  Mr. Coe sat on the Riverside Public Utility Board for 8 years while employed as a public affairs specialist for the Monte Vista Water District in Montclair, CA.  His responsibilities include creating and implementing water conservation and water education programs, customer communications, community outreach and special administrative projects most recently related to the recycled water program, development of budget-based tiered rates, and a landscaping design project for District facilities.  During his time on Riverside’s Board of Public Utilities, he was the ultimate Kiss Ass on that panel of so called “ratepayer advocates,” and would say or do anything to look impressive, good, or worthy in his quest for higher status…all while you payed for it!

He left his position with the Board of Public Utilities after 8 years of service, at the end of February 2017.  And voila!  A position was opened up in June, less than 4 months later, he would uniquely qualify for.  In reality, he served 8 years as an “advocate” to the executive staff at RPU, when he was suppose to protect the interest of the public…who just happen to own RPU.   He sold us – the absentee owners – out and advocated himself into a nice $132,000 a year job.  Bravo Justin!  Mr. Scott-Coe’s new job is to convince the public as to why Riverside Public Utility needs a rate increase (60% at that for low-use water users!  Merry Christmas!).  You see, Drunk Daddy needs new reliable and loyal troops to pander the old narrative (infrastructure!!!!!!!!!!!!) to get the Riverside community on board to give them more of our money (gotta pay them public pensions after all).  And it also seems that those employees who have actually seen Drunk Daddy’s dark underbelly have disappeared from employment, leaving some room in the budget for “Utilities Integration Managers”.

So why does RPU need a rate increase? Well this is what they are telling the public. It’s all doom and gloom, it’s all about the infrastructure, and if we don’t get our antiquated infrastructure upgraded, trouble lies on the road ahead.  If you believe their bullshit I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn.  The problem began with lousy, inept management by former Utilities Manager Dave Wright and the skullduggery continues today with Girish Balachandran, a.k.a. Drunk Daddy.  The customer-owners have inferior infrastructure because RPU has a spending problem.  The executive staff at RPU recently purchased a new $40 million dollar building, complete with a $600,000 board, errr multi-purpose room, not to mention nearly 1/2 of the employees make over $100,000.00 a year.  For many years, RPU thought nothing of spending exorbitant and insane amounts of money on their employees overtime – as in the case of a utilities dispatcher receiving $257,719 last year, with a total take home pay of $373,235.  This is behavior never seen in the private sector: a phenomenon of the public sector, and like always, no one is ever held accountable…so it will happen again.

Another narrative to sell the rate increase we heard directly out of the mouth of Mr. Scott-Coe, is that they didn’t increase the rates in the aftermath of the 2008 recession as to give relief to the pitiful fools, us taxpayers. They did it for our benefit! The truth of the matter is that they were overcharging us the whole time and were able to increase the amount of their unrestricted slush fund, errr reserves, to the tune of over $300 million, which should have been returned to the ratepayer or could’ve actually lowered our rates years ago…because we, the public, own it!

Trust and loyalty is always important when dealing with subordinates at RPU, and Justin Scott-Coe embodies that very philosophy. He will do or say anything to play the game and climb the ladder of success. He is willing to tells half-truths, omits vital information, and create false equivalencies in order to separate you from your money with his soft monotone voice that puts most people to sleep.  Of course, this is not the first run-in we’ve had with our Wood Streets neighbor.  Questions arose back about his judgement and insider dealings in 2014, when former city employee Jason Hunter filed an ethics complaint against Mr. Scott-Coe.

In the end, TMC has to hand it to Justin though for selling out the public for his own personal gain…it’s the California way these days after all.  We’d also like to send a message to RPU Deputy General Manager Kevin Milligan: watch your back, because Mayor “Choo Choo” Bailey’s buddy Justin, “just” may take over your plush corner office before you know it!

Did Drunk Daddy and Kevin Milligan high-five the hiring of Scott-Coe, as they did with when they sent their nasty, extortion letter to our neighbor, the City of Norco?

TMC, RATED RIVERSIDE’S REGIONAL COUNTIES MOST, “NEGATIVE,” “RAUNCHY,” “LOW CLASS,” “VISIONS OF GRANDEUR,” “FULL OF B.S.,” “REPREHENSIBLE,” “IGNORANT,” “MISGUIDED,” “BULLYISH,” “FILTHY,” “VILE,” “SICK,” “PERVERTED,” “DEFAMATORY,” “STUPID,” “PATHETIC,” “DESPICABLE,” “DISAPPOINTING,” “BELOW THE BELT,” “A NEW LOW,” “SHOCKING,” “OFFENSIVE,” “OBNOXIOUS,” “INAPPROPRIATE,” “HURTFUL,” “MEAN SPIRITED,” “DISTASTEFUL,” “EMBARRASSING,” HORIFFIC,” “SLANDEROUS” “FIT TO BE VIEWED FROM THE REAR” AND MEZZSPELLED, “MISSPELLED” AND “OPINIONATED” BLOG SITE! YES WE ADMIT WE OUR ALL OF THAT AND MORE, WHICH IN CURRENT TERMS IS KNOWN AS “UNPOLITICALLY CORRECT.” TEMPORARILY BLOCKED BY THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE AT PUBLIC ACCESS SITES WITHIN THE CITY, THEN UNBLOCKED. I GUESS YOU CANNOT DO THAT ACCORDING TO THE ACLU. RATED ONE TWO ONE STAR OUT OF FIVE IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY APPROVAL RATINGS.. … AGAIN, THANK YOU COMMUNITY OF RIVERSIDE AND THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE EMPLOYEE’S FOR YOUR SUPPORT! CONTACT US: thirtymilescorruption@hotmail.com