San Carlos Supports Moquisto District Dissolvement

The San Carlos city council formally endorsed a proposal by the San Mateo County Local Agency Formation Commission to  dissolve the Mosquito District and that its functions and assets be turned over to the county.

An LAFCO representative gave a presentation of the proposal to the council during its last meeting in June. The report indicated issues that needed to be addressed, including financial management and oversight.

LAFCO requests comments on its report before Monday, July 9 to be sent to:

                 Martha Poyatos, Executive Officer
                 San Mateo County Local Agency Formation Commission
                 455 County Center
                 Redwood City, CA 94063
                 mpoyatos@smcgov.org

The proposal will be considered for further action at LAFCO's meeting on July 16.

Events involving alleged embezzlement of funds raised concern regarding the District's financial management policies and practices, accountability, hiring practices, board tenure and expertise and potential need for reorganization of the District.

The concerns were considered when Betsey Schenider, the San Carlos representative to the Mosquito Board, exposed irregularities to the management of the district and, later, to the County Counsel, that led to an audit exposing further discrepancies, authorities said.

The alleged embezzlement was uncovered in January of last year when the district's agricultural account had been shown to be $150,000 over budget.

The San Carlos city council requested that the Civil Grand Jury open an investigation into the District's alleged embezzlement of funds, management and hiring issues.

Jo Ann Seeney, former finance director of the San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District, and bookkeeper Vika Sinipata were charged last Jan. 11, with embezzling more than $450,000 from the agency. It's the third time Seeney has faced such charges.

The District was last reviewed by LAFCO in 2003.

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