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Remembering Don Griggs

Hardy Brown, Sr., Contributor

Over the past two years we organized the West Valley Water District Ratepayers Association (WVWD-RPA) ‘
and he was selected its president.

Our involvement grew out of a request to assist a Black female employee to keep from losing her job
with the water agency. RPA could not prevent her termination, but was able to help her locate a law rm
that got her a cash settlement in addition to securing settlements for other employees terminated from
WVWD illegally.

While investigating that issue we discovered other violations with potential criminal implications as told
to Don in a letter from the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s O ce that forced WVWD director
Dr. Cli ord Young to pay back money to the water district.

Currently there is a case on the District Attorney’s desk involving ratepayers’ money used to pay for a
political celebration held at Sierra Lakes in Fontana. The event was to thank campaign workers who
supported various WVWD Board members in their 2017 election campaigns. In addition, some of the
campaign workers were later hired by board members to work at the water district.

More recently, an o cial audit of the water agency completed by the California State Auditor con rmed
all of Don’s concerns about the Board of Directors and other administrative and scal failures at WVWD
were warranted.

Don wanted to investigate all those issues and submit our ndings to the proper authorities for action.
He was always reminding the WVWD Board of Directors, “As a ratepayer, I want to know how and where
you are spending my money.”

Like I said, he was a leader of action. As soon as new leadership took over the WVWD Board of Directors
including Michael Taylor, Kyle Crowther, Don requested a meeting to discuss the critical issues facing the
district. This was the kind of leader he was, not waiting for them to call a meeting, but asking them
for a meeting.

To Celeste, his wife of 55 years and their children, I want you to know Don stood tall in the community
of leaders as your loving husband and father.

And Celeste, I will miss hearing you say when I call, “Hello? You want your buddy? Wait a minute . . .
Donnie, Hardy’s on the line.”

Hardy Brown Sr. is Publisher Emeritus of the Black Voice News.
Editorial/Photo Credit to The Voice / Black Voice News

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