As a result, the value of Bay Area Concretes contracts with PG&E increased exponentially over a period of four years, the lawsuit said. As a result, the value of Bay Area Concrete's contracts with PG&E increased "exponentially" over a period of four years, the lawsuit said. PG&E hired Bay Area Concrete to dispose of waste from hydrovac trucks -- special vacuum trucks that use pressurized water for precise excavation. Neither the memos nor media reports identified the employees. Adding water to dirt makes it illegal to take to ordinary landfills, since dumping it can allow common pollutants like lead or hydrocarbons ?to seep into groundwater. Kooistra did not respond to attempts to contact him by phone, mail or social media. In exchange, the lawsuit alleges, a company linked to Johal and Singh repaved Huggins driveway while they were supposed to be working on a PG&E job. "I've spoken to [Bauters] several times, we have a very different opinion about what is appropriate discharge onto the street and what is not," Wilfong said at a Hayward Planning Commission meeting in 2018. "Their accusations are wrong, and they'll wind up paying us one way or another.". Bauters sat behind him, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Later, the news agencies revealed a suspicious real estate transaction that connected Singh and one of the PG&E employees. Packal also alleged that PG&E-contracted hydrovac trucks were dumping illegally. The couple did not respond to requests for comment via mail, phone, email and social media. Two days later, Kooistra quit his job, according to the complaint. 1 Sabrina Hamipi 1 Inderbir Kaur 1 Inderbir Kour Excel Known Addresses for Yadwinder Singh 24701 Clawiter Rd Hayward, CA 94545 255 Happy Valley Rd Pleasanton, CA 94566 PO Box 1603 Union City, CA 94587 Advertisements Source California Secretary of State In selecting Bay Area Concrete for the environmentally sensitive job, however, PG&E ignored the firm's history of illegal dumping and conflict with regulators, as well as its employment of a senior manager connected to environmental crimes, according to interviews and a review of court records, public documents and business filings by the Bay City News Foundation and ProPublica. Yadwinder Singh Project Technician at F12.net Calgary, Alberta, Canada 235 followers 233 connections Join to view profile F12.net Seneca College About Customer service focused System. Bay Area Concrete's contract with PG&E was terminated, and the company is under criminal investigation. Thanks for Not Procreating: Making Census of the Moment. Bay Area Concrete is part of a sprawling network of hauling, recycling and construction companies owned by Bay Area couple Preet Johal and Yadwinder "Kevin" Singh. In an interview, Simmons said that dust blowing into the ConXtech factory, where the company manufactures steel structures for health care facilities and office buildings, would interfere with their machinery. 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 July 2019, a new filing for Regal Rose LLC listed its managers as Kooistra and his wife, Celia, a real estate agent and swimsuit model. The new court filings show that PG&E had a longer business relationship with Bay Area Concrete than previously known. In February 2020, PG&E canceled Bay Area Concrete's contracts and publicly announced its belief that the waste company had committed fraud. Olivero reached an agreement with federal prosecutors to testify against Lucero. On Feb. 24, 2020, PG&E released the memo from CEO William Johnson to the media. Now, an investigation by the Bay City News Foundation and ProPublica has revealed for the first time a multimillion-dollar real estate transaction linking one of Bay Area Concrete's owners,. In late 2019, PG&E learned of the alleged fraud and launched an investigation. 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. ", When Bay Area Concrete faced tough questions from regulators, Bauters, the company's environmental officer, could usually smooth things over. Dr. Yadwinder Singh is a Internist in Circleville, OH. Bay Area Concrete stuck around and opened a new dump on PG&E property in Petaluma. 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. Meanwhile, competing companies lost work with PG&E. Bay Area Concrete appealed to continue operating, but it was unanimously rejected by the Hayward Planning Commission late in 2018. Meanwhile, competing companies lost work with PG&E. Bay Area Concrete has said that PG&Es accusations of fraud are false and the bankrupt utility was just trying to get out of paying its bills. The litigation process will make this clear in time.. In 16 years, the pair's. PG&E first started disposing of waste in the company's Hayward yard in 2016, and the business expanded to include the cleanup of PG&E yards throughout Northern California. Four days later, he retired. "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. 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. The blaze burned for weeks, destroyed 18,804 structures and killed 85 people. PG&Es court filing alleges that Regal Rose LLC, a shell company established by Singh, was also in possession of a property in Arizona when it was transferred to Kooistra. 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. PG&E alleges that Huggins was aware of Kooista's actions and did not disclose them. PG&E alleges that in exchange for these kickbacks, the employees provided lucrative clean-up jobs to Hayward-based Bay Area Concrete Recycling. Operating under the name Slurry Waste Solutions, the company profited handsomely. At the time, PG&E owed Bay Area Concrete nearly $4 million, according to bankruptcy filings. A subordinate is accused of having received a bribe in an unorthodox property transfer of a multimillion-dollar house in a wealthy suburb of San Francisco. The company is owned and managed by the husband-wife team Yadwinder "Kevin" Singh and Preet Johal, according to local and state documents. This February, as the news organizations began investigating, PG&E publicly accused Bay Area Concrete of defrauding the utility and bribing PG&E employees. Filing 1 COMPLAINT against Bay Area Concrete, LLC, Bay Area Hyrovac, LLC, PMK Contractors LLC, Preet Johal, Yadwinder Singh (Filing fee $ 402, receipt number 0971-16273295). Driven by gusts of up to 36 mph, the fire was heading straight for Paradise. To pay the bribes, Singh used a series of real estate transactions involving a 5,600-square-foot home in Saratoga to transfer money to Kooistra, PG&E alleges. 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. "This is in addition to avoiding the significant negative environmental impacts that trucking and processing these materials elsewhere in the state would have caused," he wrote. . The blaze grew into the most destructive wildfire in state history and destroyed the town of Paradise. 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. "Everything was focused on the core competency of what we do.". In its suit, Bay Area Concrete alleged that it had saved PG&E millions of dollars by doing disposal work in Paradise more cheaply than a competitor. Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. After contracting for the Paradise cleanup, Bay Area Concrete's annual revenue jumped from $16.5 million to $43.5 million, according to documents filed with a lease application. Singh and Johal wanted to negotiate an exclusive contract to dump on the property. To pay the bribes, Singh used a series of real estate transactions involving a 5,600-square-foot home in Saratoga to transfer money to Kooistra, PG&E alleges. PG&E asked Kooistra to turn over his company-issued phone, which he did, but he refused to provide his passcode so investigators could access text messages and other data. The allegations track closely with the results of an investigation last year by ProPublica and the Bay City News Foundation, which found that PG&E had overlooked numerous warning signs when it hired Bay Area Concrete. 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. Kooistra did not respond to attempts to contact him by phone, mail or social media. To pay the bribes, Singh used a series of real estate transactions involving a 5,600-square-foot home in Saratoga to transfer money to Kooistra, PG&E alleges. Singh did not respond to requests for comment. According to PG&E's complaint, CCI did hauling work for Bay Area Concrete, which would submit invoices directly to PG&E. Bay Area Concrete stuck around and opened a new dump on PG&E property in Petaluma. In October, the Washington Department of Ecology ordered the company to keep its site clean and halt discharge of wastewater to storm drains. Bay Area Concrete, operating under the name Slurry Waste Solutions, built a specialized disposal facility in Paradise. Bauters spoke in defense of Bay Area Concrete, arguing that city staff had not responded to the company's attempts to come into compliance. Public records show that the companys 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. In response to a long list of questions, PG&E provided a brief statement that did not directly address how warning signs like the company owners long conflict with the city of Hayward and participation in an illegal dumping operation were overlooked. A Santa Clara University psychology professor said the enormity of the destruction and devastation in Paradise can take an emotional toll on fire victim and leave psychological scars. Butte County District Attorney Michael Ramsey confirmed that PG&E contacted his office regarding the allegations and said he is waiting for further information from the utility. 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. Despite that, PG&E then contracted with Bay Area Concrete to play a key role in the cleanup after the Camp Fire. 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. 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. Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more. You can cancel at any time. ADVERTISING Advertise Legal Notices Obituaries Writing An Obituary Submit an Obituary, COMPANY INFO Job Opportunities Privacy PolicyTerms of Service, What to Include in Your Marin County Obituary. 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