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<br />MWD Chairman's Political Fund-Raising Questioned <br /> <br />002755 <br /> <br />described her delegation to the MWD board as being concerned <br />about the chairman's action. "I think that it's at best highly <br />improper," she said. <br />A legal memorandum prepared for the delegation by Daniel <br />Hentschke, general counsel of the San Diego County Water <br />Authority, said it is generally proper for public officials to <br />engage in political activity as long as they do it as private <br />citizens. <br />But the memo added that "there is a question of whether Mr. <br />Pace's conduct can ultimately be attributable to MWD or <br />instead constitutes the unauthorized use ofMWD's identity and <br />Mr. Pace's office for private purposes." <br />Tom Graff, senior attorney for the Environmental Defense <br />Fund, read excerpts from the solicitation letter at a recent <br />hearing to show what he called contradictory messages from <br />MWD officials. <br />He said the MWD had argued against the use of its aqueduct <br />by other agencies, contending that it had such an abundance of <br />water that it had no room for any more. But then, he said, in the <br />solicitation letter, Pace asked contributors to give to <br />Hertzberg's campaign because the assemblyman would help the <br />district cope with its water shortages. <br />As chairman, Pace heads a 51-member board that oversees <br />an agency that provides nearly 60% of the water used by 16 <br />million people in six counties. The MWD, which imports water <br />from the Colorado River and Northern California, has a 5,200- <br />square-mile service area, including most of urban Southern <br />California. <br />Pace, a developer from Montebello, has been chairman since <br />late last year. <br /> <br />Copyright 1999 Los Angeles Times. All Rights Reserved <br /> <br />6 Search the archives of the Los Angeles Times for similar stories about: <br />METROPOLITAN WATER DlSTRICT, PHILLIP J PACE, POLITICAL <br />CONTRIBUTIONS, FUND RAISING, LEITERS, POLITICAL <br />LITERATURE, GOVERNMENT MISCONDUCT. You will not be <br />charged to look for stories, only to retrieve one. <br /> <br />l~e1lV!S_ <br /> <br />I~ I~ite.lndex. <br /> <br />Il~ <br /> <br />http://www.latimes.com/HOMEINEWS/STATE/t000072733.html <br /> <br />Page 3 of3 <br /> <br />8/15/99 <br />