And soon PG&E would be doing more business with Bay Area Concrete than ever. "They have obviously factored into their business model that they can afford these fines and they can afford these violations because they're making enough money," Carroll said. PG&E paid CCI $150,000 over five weeks without knowing that the company was owned by Kooistra, a violation of PG&E employment and supplier policies. On March 15, 2016, Lucero was indicted for violations of the federal Clean Water Act. Trucks began dumping potentially toxic slurry at the disposal site, which did not require environmental review as an emergency project and helped speed cleanup operations. He sold his home in Rocklin and moved to Arizona. PG&E first started disposing of waste in the companys Hayward yard in 2016, and the business expanded to include the cleanup of PG&E yards throughout Northern California. In a statement, PG&E spokesperson James Noonan called the alleged actions of Bay Area Concrete "completely unacceptable.". The company has had its headquarters in Hayward since 2012, where it operated an unpermitted concrete recycling plant from 2013 until it was shut down last year after years of fighting with the city. Later, the news agencies revealed a suspicious real estate transaction that connected Singh and one of the PG&E employees. PG&Es counterclaim, filed earlier this month, names Bay Area Concrete, both former PG&E employees, Singh, Johal, several of their other companies and Bay Area Concrete CEO Kevin Olivero as defendants. Bay Area Concrete, operating under the name Slurry Waste Solutions, built a specialized disposal facility in Paradise. Meanwhile, Kooistra and Bay Area Concrete grew a lucrative business relationship separate from PG&E, according to records and interviews. The unanimous vote to deny the permits was a potentially devastating blow to Bay Area Concrete. "Absolutely no photos or videos taken on these premises without permission," it says. Huggins did not respond to written questions mailed to his home in Auburn. Some of those sites ran afoul of regulators as well. Hands on experience on Palo alto firewall, Fortinet firewall, Fortimanager, Fortianalyzer, Fortiswitch, FortiAP. But Singh wanted $5.5 million about $1 million more than the assessed value and Rossi said he eventually realized that he'd never be able to buy the house back. The firm was tied to illegal dumping on federally protected wetlands and had engaged in a long conflict with regulators in the city of Hayward, where Bay Area Concrete operates a dump. There are 800+ professionals named "Yadwinder Singh", who use LinkedIn to exchange information, ideas, and opportunities. He said some facilities had been incorrectly ordered shut down. In 2019, they leased land on Treasure Island in the San . This article was produced in partnership with the Bay City News Foundation, which is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network. In February 2020, PG&E canceled Bay Area Concretes contracts and publicly announced its belief that the waste company had committed fraud. PG&E alleges that in exchange for these kickbacks, the employees provided lucrative clean-up jobs to Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling. Bauters spoke in defense of Bay Area Concrete, arguing that city staff had not responded to the company's attempts to come into compliance. / CBS San Francisco, by Scott Morris, Bay City News Foundation. During public comment, Gerald Carroll, an attorney for another neighbor, D.W. Nicholson, pleaded with the commission to deny the appeal, citing concerns about the health of their employees from dust. The Bay City News Foundation and ProPublica first reported the exchange, which one expert described as possible money laundering. In an interview, Bay Area Concrete operations manager Chris Packal argued that there were legitimate differences in opinion over what zoning allowed for the site in Hayward. SAN FRANCISCO - Utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric accused two of its former employees of accepting bribes to funnel business to a waste-hauling company after the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history. The firm was tied to illegal dumping on federally. The blaze grew into the most destructive wildfire in state history and destroyed the town of Paradise. The Bay City News Foundation and ProPublica first reported the exchange, which one expert described as possible money laundering. Kooistra, a PG&E supervisor in charge of liquid waste disposal whose area included Paradise, found a solution. Despite that, PG&E then contracted with Bay Area Concrete to play a key role in the cleanup after the Camp Fire. Huggins did not respond to written questions mailed to his home in Auburn. The allegations are patently false and not supported by the evidence, she said. As a result, the value of Bay Area Concretes contracts with PG&E increased exponentially over a period of four years, the lawsuit said. . In a letter to PG&E posted to the companys website, Olivero accused PG&E of falsifying accusations to avoid paying bills as the utility still owes the company a substantial sum. More than 80 people were killed. Bauters sat behind him, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Bay Area Concrete also said that it continued to work for PG&E as other companies fled when the utility declared bankruptcy in January 2019. Neither the memos nor media reports identified the employees. He said the utility had offered to pay $9.3 million after the company made a statement accusing PG&E of trying to avoid outstanding fees. Bay Area Concrete has denied the allegations of fraud and bribery in Paradise. Public records show that the company's income increased substantially, from $16.5 million to $43.5 million, after receiving a contract to dispose of waste in connection with the Paradise fire. Bay Area Concrete overcharged for travel time while hauling and billed PG&E for work that was never done or was unnecessary. "It was definitely a battle with the city the whole time," Packal said. PG&E alleges that Huggins was aware of Kooista's actions and did not disclose them. The complaint alleges that Huggins and Kooistra approved the overbilled work in exchange for kickbacks. Huggins retired, and Kooistra sold his home and moved out of state after being confronted by PG&E investigators, the counterclaim by PG&E said. Bay Area Concrete stuck around and opened a new dump on PG&E property in Petaluma. The pair were careful to keep Bay Area Concrete's purchase orders low enough that Huggins would not have to seek approval from his supervisors. Dawn Sweatt, an attorney for Bay Area Concrete, said her clients vehemently deny the allegations by PG&E. Bay Area Concrete also said that it continued to work for PG&E as other companies fled when the utility declared bankruptcy in January 2019. Dust from recycled concrete, she said, may have polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, carcinogens that were banned in 1978. Huggins retired, and Kooistra sold his home and moved out of state after being confronted by PG&E investigators, the counterclaim by PG&E said. Journalist Camille Von Kaenel explains on The Four. "As we have stated previously, PG&E will continue to hold ourselves and those that do work on our behalf to the highest ethical standards.". In 2017, Bay Area Concrete opened new slurry waste disposal facilities in Richmond and Sacramento. It is not clear whether or how PG&E vetted Bay Area Concrete before hiring the firm. Kooistra did not respond to attempts to contact him by phone, mail or social media. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. When confronted by PG&E investigators, Huggins told the investigators he had paid the $16,750 bill in cash, which he happened to have on hand in his house. Dr. Yadwinder Singh, MD is an Internal Medicine Specialist in Circleville, OH and has over 32 years of experience in the medical field. At the time, PG&E owed Bay Area Concrete nearly $4 million, according to bankruptcy filings. Kooistra did not respond to attempts to contact him by phone, mail or social media. 6 Cabo hotels for your spring break vacation, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Corporate records unearthed by the news organizations reveal new details about the alleged schemes. Kooistra sold his home in California in February and returned to Arizona, where he founded a pool cleaning business in May. Kooistra resigned and his supervisor, superintendent of gas transmission and distribution Ron Huggins, also no longer works at PG&E, according to the news organizations' investigation. Singh did not respond to requests for comment. Ramsey said in an email that he received no further information from PG&E but had determined that his office did not have jurisdiction in the case. Yadwinder Singh Associated Addresses Po Box 1603, Union City, CA 94587109 Castlewood Dr, Pleasanton, CA 9456624701 Clawiter Rd, Hayward, CA 94545 Yadwinder Singh Associated Phone Numbers (408) 210-3938 (510) 797-4452 (408) 946-6632 Yadwinder Singh Associated Email Addresses economytrucking@sbcglobal.net kevin.singh@gmail.com mhamidi1@yahoo.com PG&E also hired another company owned by Singh and Johal, PMK Contractors, to help build its command center for the fire, according to Packal. According to the countercomplaint, Kooistra denied any wrongdoing or having an interest in the companies, despite the interest being disclosed in public records. PG&E bankruptcy filings from March 2019 showed that the utility owed Bay Area Concrete nearly $4 million. HAYWARD, CA It was a last-ditch effort to save a scofflaw business. Kooistra was interviewed in January 2020 by PG&E investigators, who confronted him with evidence of his interest in companies connected to Bay Area Concrete. Over the next year, crews working for the state Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery removed nearly 3.7 million tons of debris, including 673,244 tons of contaminated soil. PG&E then suspended business with the five sites, all competitors of Bay Area Concrete, pending the outcome of the water board's investigation. PG&E bankruptcy filings from March 2019 showed that the utility owed Bay Area Concrete nearly $4 million. From Paradise, the truck operators would have to drive long distances to dump their loads, to places such as Chico, Sacramento or Tracy, slowing down the work and making it more expensive. At the time, PG&E owed Bay Area Concrete nearly $4 million, according to bankruptcy filings. Utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric accused two of its former employees of accepting bribes to funnel business to a waste-hauling company after the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history. "This is in addition to avoiding the significant negative environmental impacts that trucking and processing these materials elsewhere in the state would have caused.". One day, a PG&E employee crossed the street and offered Bay Area Concrete a contract to use street sweeping trucks to clean the PG&E facility, according to Packal. Bay Area Concrete opened a dump in Paradise to take the waste from the cleanup. Nov 2021 - Present1 year 3 months. He is very compassionate and Caring. "The allegations are patently false and not supported by the evidence," she said. Ramsey said in an email that he received no further information from PG&E but had determined that his office did not have jurisdiction in the case. The new court filings show that PG&E had a longer business relationship with Bay Area Concrete than previously known. A small white sign on the fence reads "Slurry Waste Solutions" in orange. Ramsey said in an email that he received no further information from PG&E but had determined that his office did not have jurisdiction in the case. Singh did not respond to requests for comment. Here's how the scheme worked, according to PG&E's allegations in court filings. The facility processed the slurry waste from hydrovac trucks, special excavation equipment that uses pressurized water to dig around delicate equipment like buried gas lines or cables. PG&E paid CCI $150,000 over five weeks without knowing that the company was owned by Kooistra, a violation of PG&E employment and supplier policies. If the dust was allowed to drain into the bay, it could be harmful to fish. As a result, the value of Bay Area Concretes contracts with PG&E increased exponentially over a period of four years, the lawsuit said. PG&E first started disposing of waste in the companys Hayward yard in 2016, and the business expanded to include the cleanup of PG&E yards throughout Northern California. In addition to his work with Bay Area Concrete, Bauters did training for the California Stormwater Quality Association. Singh did not respond to requests for comment. That business grew substantially in November 2018, when a PG&E transmission line sparked a wildfire in Butte County that destroyed more than 18,000 structures and killed 85 people. He sold his home in Rocklin and moved to Arizona. The sprawling complex includes parking for utility trucks, a repair station, outdoor storage for large spools of wires, pipes and other equipment, and a compressed natural gas vehicle fueling station. Packal denied that Bay Area Concrete had paid out any bribes. Packal said the arrangement resulted in substantial savings for PG&E in the labor and gas for trips to faraway disposal sites. Ownership of that new company was later transferred to a PG&E employee who oversaw Bay Area Concrete's work in Paradise. Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. My Official Page - Yadwinder Singh #14 Power Forward for Indian Senior Men's Basketball Team; Haryana Gold at UBA & Zarkawt BCA at MSL. Thanks for Not Procreating: Making Census of the Moment. I don't know what they're going to do. Singh and Johal negotiated use of the site through Olivero, whom they would later hire to run their flagship company. The couple did not respond to requests for comment via mail, phone, email and social media. Bay Area Concrete appealed. PG&E alleges that in exchange for these kickbacks, the employees provided lucrative clean-up jobs to Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling.
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