Neighbors for Better Water (NFBW) was formed in 2017 by concerned residents in East Palo Alto who are in the Palo Alto Park Mutual Water Company district.
Many of these residents had experienced illegal charges and rude treatment from the staff of the water company, and were very unhappy with the quality of the water. Additionally, when they brought these concerns shareholder meetings, they discovered that the company was run by one family, and they had very little interest in changing.
NFBW representatives questioned their elected officials, who all responded that the only way to change the situation is for the members to elect a new board. Since that time, NFBW residents have been collecting proxies to replace the board in order to hire a new staff. However, the board members cheated in elections and refused to leave. Undaunted, NFBW has filed numerous lawsuits, but the courts have been unable to fix the situation, despite recognizing that NFBW candidates were the rightfully elected board members.
NFBW continues to pursue justice in the courts to represent the members of the water district.
NFBW Platform
Join us if you believe:
- Interacting with the staff and board should be a pleasant experience.
- The finances of the company should be audited every year, just like at other water companies.
- Board meetings should be online and available for all to attend easily.
- The board should be independent of the staff. In other words, none of the board members, nor family members of board members, should be paid by the Company.
- The water should be clean enough that we can drink it without wondering if it will hurt us.
- The water supply should provide enough flow that we don't have to worry that water will run out during peak summer months or if there is a major fire.
- Bills should be easy to pay with an online system.
- The price of the water should be as low as possible to achieve these goals.
- People should not have to pay extra to simply park a trailer on their property, or to rent out rooms in their house.