State Assemblymember Julia Brownley (41s District) has denied Calabasas resident Alex Sotera’s allegations that her office has conspired to keep him off the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Board.
Soteras, until recently a member of the water board, said his business friendly interests have played a role in his removal from the board, clashing with state politicians, including Brownley and Sen. Fran Pavley, he credits to ending his term.
Pavley’s office did not return phone calls regarding the matter.
Soteras said he is in the process of reapplying for a vacant seat, which state officials say is impossible.
Soteras was appointed to the board in July by Gov. Schwarzenegger to fill former board member Hamad Nahai’s vacant seat. The seat term ended in September, followed by a 60-day grace period through the end of November.
The water board, a state entity, has been at odds with the City of Malibu over permitting issues, but approved a wastewater discharge permit for the Malibu Lumber mall last month, which sits on city-owned property at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road. Soteras, a former Malibu resident and director for the United Chamber of Commerce, which serves the Conejo and San Fernando valleys, attributed his work in organizing meetings as a source of contention.
Soteras said his work in the permit’s approval was to the chagrin of Brownley, recently elected to her second term, and Pavley, elected to the Senate in November, who he said have circulated a negative media campaign about his role on the board and attempted to prevent his reappointment.
“I arranged several meetings with water board staff and with city officials to get them to understand that they [Malibu Lumber] needed a wastewater permit and not to make Malibu go through a lot of other political hoops to get it and delay the process [of building the mall],” Soteras said.
Assemblymember Brownley denied Soteras’ allegations.
“The assemblymember never played in a role in Mr. Sotera’s appointment to the board or in any decision-making process related to his future on the board,” said a spokesperson for the Brownley.
Sen. Pavley’s did not return repeated phone calls from The Malibu Times.
Rachel Cameron, deputy press secretary for the governor, said Soteras will not be able to be on the board as no vote was taken on his July appointment and, according to state statute, he will not be qualified for reappointment for a full year.
The governor’s office is currently in the process of filling the two vacancies on the water board made available at the end of November by accepting applications. The governor will make appointments to fill the seats and the state Senate will vote to confirm the decisions, a process that can take a full year. The appointees will serve on the board until the vote.
Cameron said she could not provide comment as to why the Senate never voted on Soteras’ seat.
In December, the RWQCB approved the wastewater discharge permit for the Malibu Lumber mall, after threatening to revoke a prior memorandum of understanding with the city to issue permits on sites producing less than 2,000 gallons of wastewater per day. The MOU is currently under renegotiation.
At the completion of construction this year, the two-story Malibu Lumber mall complex, which will house several retail shops, will produce less than 2,000 gallons per day of wastewater, though this amount will change when two restaurants slated for the complex open at a later time.
On Jan. 21, the RWQCB will hold a scoping meeting on a proposed amendment to incorporate a septic onsite wastewater treatment system prohibition in the Malibu Civic Center area.