Elected Central Basin Officials Gather Secretly to Dismiss Current President Through Alleged Unlawful Gathering
A special meeting scheduled for November 1, 2024, at 1 pm for the Central Basin Board has caused a stir, with allegations of violations of both the Government Code 54956 and the Central Basin's Administrative Code.
The agenda for the meeting was sent out at 2:30 pm the day before, which is in violation of Government Code 54956, which mandates that agendas for meetings be distributed at least 72 hours in advance. This is not the first time the Central Basin Board has faced such accusations, as the same violation was also claimed in relation to the meeting's agenda.
The special meeting also appears to violate Central Basin's Code under Article 3, section 3.3 Duties and Role of Board Officers. According to the Code, the president has final approval of all agendas. However, Nem Ochoa, General Manager of Golden State Water, and Joanna Moreno, a Vernon Public Works employee, are reportedly participating in the meeting, along with directors Jim Crawford, Garza, and Camacho. These individuals are ignoring the Code by holding the meeting despite their disregard for the president's authority.
Item 5B on the agenda proposes to amend Central Basin's Article 3, section 3.3 Duties and Role of Board Officer. The objective is to vote on removing Art Chacon as president and installing a new president.
In a somewhat related scandal, the Central Basin Municipal Water District's former general manager, Alex Rojas, was abruptly terminated in 2024 due to alleged misconduct and governance failures. However, this case does not mention Nem Ochoa or Joanna Moreno.
There are no direct search results confirming current allegations or consequences specifically involving a takeover attempt of the Central Basin Board linked to Ochoa and Moreno up to the date of August 8, 2025.
LCCN, the adjudicated newspaper for the City of Commerce, did not receive the notice via email as required by 54956. Emails to Ms. Moreno and Ochoa went unreturned.
Joanna Moreno is temporarily in her CB Director seat, terming out in February 2025. Sources suggest that Ochoa may have been promised current director Jim Crawford's seat on the Metropolitan Water Board in exchange for his illegal vote.
If you seek information about the governance issues at Central Basin broadly, the Rojas scandal exemplifies systemic risks and operational fallout that can result from leadership misconduct. However, it does not implicate the named parties in this current controversy.
It remains to be seen how the Central Basin Board will proceed with the special meeting and the allegations against them. As of now, no substantive allegations or consequences are documented involving Ochoa or Moreno regarding a Central Basin Board takeover attempt. If there are ongoing developments in this matter, they have not been captured in these sources.
- The Central Basin Board is embroiled in controversy once again, with allegations of violating Government Code 54956 and the Central Basin's Administrative Code, particularly regarding the distribution of meeting agendas.
- The special meeting on November 1, 2024, also seems to contravene the Central Basin's Code, as non-board officers such as Nem Ochoa and Joanna Moreno are reportedly participating.
- Item 5B on the meeting's agenda proposes a change in the board's leadership, aiming to remove Art Chacon as president and elect a new one, suggesting internal power struggles within the Central Basin Board.
- Despite the ongoing controversy surrounding the Central Basin Board, no direct searches have confirmed a takeover attempt linked to Ochoa and Moreno as of August 8, 2025. However, there are rumors suggesting that Ochoa may have been promised Jim Crawford's seat on the Metropolitan Water Board in exchange for his illegal vote.
