Steve Collins is not planning to go away quietly, and filed a claim against the county Dec. 21 that states he intends to provide state and federal authorities with "sworn documents, including sworn statements made by the county and Cal Am to the district attorney, demonstrating perjury, fraud, conspiracy and misuse of public funds."
Collins, the former board chair of the Monterey County Water Resources Agency, was at the center of the conflict of interest scandal that sunk the Regional Desalination Project, which was a joint water supply project involving the county, Cal Am and the Marina Coast Water District.
When news surfaced in 2011 that Collins was working for RMC Water and Environment—which was a subcontractor on the project for MCWD—while serving as a public official, the regional project quickly fell apart.
Numerous lawsuits have since been filed by Cal Am, the county and MCWD, and Collins pleaded no contest to felony conflict of interest charges in March 2014.
However, Collins has long claimed that he became a contractor at the behest of former county supervisor Lou Calcagno, and that numerous county officials knew about his involvement with RMC at least a year before the news broke in 2011.
Collins' claim focuses on a lawsuit filed July 1 by the county and Cal Am against Marina Coast and RMC over their role in the failed project. Collins claims the testimony in the suit is "diametrically opposed" to testimony given by some of the same people more than four years ago.
"Only one of the versions can be truthful," Collins' claim states.
The claim singles out four current county employees that Collins alleges knew of his involvement with RMC before 2011: County Counsel Charles McKee, Supervisor Dave Potter, Deputy County Counsel Irven Grant and County Administrative Officer Lew Bauman.
(1) comment
I have been following this whole series of events since the beginning and in my opinion I can honestly say that Collins is NOT delusional as Charles McKee is so fond of calling him and that he does indeed speak the truth and that he does indeed have the evidence to prove his assertions...A "no contest plea" as taken, is not an admission of guilt, but rather what one has to do when one is not allowed ANY witnesses...Either that or go to jail...Hence, the County got to hang a Felon charge around his neck...Oh, joy...So pleasant to walk in those moccasins...So now, Collins is fighting back as he wants his truth to be told in, what I would think, a Court outside of Monterey County where there is not complete control by the powers that be....And, more importantly, the Feds are involved as well....
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