Jaime Bonilla, trustee and former president of the Otay Water Board, has resigned to accept a position as an official in Mexico, insiders say. It is said the position may be to work for a Congressman, although Rostra is awaiting written confirmation.
Bonilla has long been “credited” with nearly single-handedly controlling the board majority at the Otay district, including driving last year’s controversial decision to extend lifetime benefits to employees.
Developing, in a word.
Update 1:45 pm — A reader translates the article posted in the comments below: “The article you posted referenced a column in El Solde de Tijuana. Looks like Bonilla accepted a position to work for Mexican Presidential candidate Andrés López Obrador. He basically will be coordinator, facilitator and strategist for the Progressives.”
Comments 5
Bonilla is as crooked as the day is long.
Good riddance.
Confirmation from Baja?…
http://www.periodicobajacalifornia.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6120:ing-jaime-bonilla-presidente-de-psn-para-el-senado-de-la-republica&catid=36:bc&Itemid=56&lang=en
A reader translates:
The article you posted referenced a column in El Solde de Tijuana, linked here:
http://www.oem.com.mx/elsoldetijuana/notas/n2464941.htm
Looks like Bonilla accepted a position to work for Mexican Presidential candidate Andrés López Obrador. He basically will be coordinator, facilitator and strategist for the Progressives.
Not to worry. Doubtless he will get his free lifetime healthcare (doesn’t that include family?) from the hapless Otay ratepayers.
The minor pay he received as a water district politico was chump change. He know what the real payoff was. And now time for him to move on.
Suckers!
I stand corrected. I have it from a reliable source that the DIRECTORS of the ANY CA water district are by law NOT eligible for retiree health care. I didn’t know that. My apologies.
So, as it turns out, “only” the Otay district employees AND their spouses are entitled to this incredible giveaway. As many readers may recall, the district last year decided that — not only would this benefit not cost anything — it would SAVE money every year. And it seems that at least one of the directors didn’t get to see the “financial analysis” before first voting to approve this measure.
The fundamental problem occurs because the trusting directors look to their own staff to do the analysis — a staff that HUGELY PROFITS from a decision to have the rate payers guarantee lifetime health care for all.
This obvious conflict of interest is rampant in CA governments at every level. In cities, it’s usually the city managers and their staff who hoodwink the politicians concerning to costs and risks of such pension and (often) health care benefits. And their reassurances have been wrong EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Here’s more on that Otay employee giveaway:
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/environment/muck/article_d37e531e-c2d3-11e0-9c3d-001cc4c002e0.html
and
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/aug/11/otay-decision-will-haunt-district-leaders/