Kimmelshue must rescue himself

On Tuesday, Sept. 28, the Butte County Board of Supervisors will consider the application of a group of private citizens, many of them members of the Agricultural Groundwater Users of Butte County, who wish to form the Tuscan Water District. Supervisor Tod Kimmelshue must recuse himself from voting on this. Why? Conflict of interest.

During his 2019 campaign, Kimmelshue received upwards of $80,000 in donations from members of the Agricultural Groundwater Users of Butte County. It is the Agricultural Groundwater Users of Butte County which is teaming to form the Tuscan Water District. Kimmelshue will be a beneficiary of the district. He and family own large parcels of land in what would become the Tuscan Water District. Kimmelshue sits on the boards of the Vina Groundwater Sustainability Agency and Butte Local Agency Formation Commission, the two organizations that will have the final say whether to allow or deny formation of Tuscan Water District.

A conflict of interest couldn’t be more clear. Kimmelshue — preserve your integrity. Recuse yourself!

— Pam Stoesser, Chico