A testy discussion between SCVWD board and staff prompted an audit to delve into allegations of improper payments to one of the district's contractors.

Beau Goldie will get on a plane to Georgia. By all accounts it should be an extraordinary trip, and the timing for the trip is no less extraordinary.

The District Attorney’s office confirmed Friday it has launched an investigation into conflicts of interest and allegations of fraudulent billing involving the Santa Clara Valley Water District and consultant RMC Water and Environment.

An investigation into the Santa Clara Valley Water District has identified conflicts of interest between the public agency and consultant RMC Water and Environment, as well as allegations of fraudulent billing.

Santa Clara Valley Water District CEO Beau Goldie failed to disclose conflicts of interest regarding a $4 million consulting contract with RMC, the beneficiary of more than $18 million from the water district in the last decade.

California may be on the precipice of an end-of-days drought, but our local water watchers’ money faucet remains tapped like the last call of happy hour.

UPDATE: Due to technical difficulties this post and all reader comments were dropped from the site. The post has been restored in its original form as we work to resolve all outstanding issues. Thanks for your patience.—Editor

Living up to its reputation as the county’s favorite whipping boy, the Santa Clara Valley Water District repeatedly botched its ballot measure language to extend property taxes. A judge recently ruled that multiple mistakes on the ballot measure to extend property taxes won’t stop it from going to voters. That’s a good thing. Despite the drama, most of the money will go toward cleaning up creek beds, ensuring safe drinking water and providing flood control. We say “most” because some of it could go toward providing elder board members of the Water District board, a golden parachute. A recent board agenda item to give appointed board members health insurance for life was pulled at the last minute by Water District CEO Beau Goldie. Both Goldie and Olga Martin Steele, the district’s interim chief administrative officer, and other board members admit that the idea has been on the table for years and was recently resuscitated. The question is why? The timing is obvious.

I’d like to ask how much the Water District spends each year on advertising and outreach? Water District ads encouraging people to conserve are on all of the time.  (By now, I think we’ve got it!)
— Timothy Wright

The budget for marketing campaigns has varied depending on the seasonal need. For example, the “Save 20 gallons” water conservation campaign was released in 2009, following a 15 percent mandatory conservation call by our board of directors.

In an effort to keep readers better informed about and involved with community issues, San Jose Inside is unveiling several new features in the coming weeks. Our Q&A series allows readers to become reporters and ask questions. If you’ve ever wondered why a certain question wasn’t posed, this will be your opportunity to step forward and ask. This week, Santa Clara Valley Water District CEO Beau Goldie has agreed to answer your questions.