Not much can be said about mediation for my complaints.  It is structured to be confidential among the opposing parties and the PUC. 

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It began with a phone call from Aqua’s lawyer in mid-November of 2023.  He announced that Aqua was going to file a motion to move the complaints to mediation.  He requested that I non-object to the motion.  Essentially he was requesting that I agree to mediation. 

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I was interested in what Aqua might offer and how a mediator might facilitate a settlement.  Therefore, I agreed to the mediation.  Two mediation sessions were held on January 23, 2024 and March 7, 2024.  Subsequently Aqua offered a settlement document on March 25, 2024.  Aqua’s proposal was entirely unsatisfactory to me and I withdrew from mediation on April 29, 2024.  It was another month and a half before the PUC set a new hearing date.

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To illustrate the confidentially of the process here is the closing statement from the PUC’s mediator:

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REMINDER:  WHAT HAPPENS IN MEDIATION STAYS IN MEDIATION. 

CONFIDENTIALLITY IS THE RULE …   

all information gained, discussed, and/or shared from the date,  is confidential and may not be used in any manner.  Please destroy all your notes, settlement sheets, emails etc.

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Reflecting on the mediation process:

 

This was my first experience with mediation.  Based on news media information I expected the mediator to actively facilitate the two parties to find common ground.  That was not what I experienced.  Rather, the mediator basically facilitated the conversation between the two parties. 

 

I felt Aqua’s objective was to get me to drop the complaints. 

 

The process consumed eight months – a significant delay in coming to a conclusion.