Exhibit 4.17
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CALIFORNIA WATER SERVICE COMPANY
NINTH SUPPLEMENT TO NOTE AGREEMENT
Dated as of February 15, 2003
Re: $10,000,000 4.58% Series K Senior Notes
Due June 30, 2010
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Ninth Supplement to Note Agreement
Dated as of
February 15, 2003
To the Purchaser named in
Schedule A hereto
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This Ninth Supplement to Note Purchase Agreement (the "Ninth
Supplement") is between California Water Service Company (the "Company") whose
address is 0000 Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000 and the
institutional investor named on Schedule A attached hereto (the "Purchaser").
Reference is hereby made to that certain Note Agreement dated as of
March 1, 1999 (the "Note Agreement") between the Company and the purchasers
listed on Schedule I thereto. All capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein
shall have the same meaning as specified in the Note Agreement. Reference is
further made to Section 4.3 thereof which requires that, prior to the delivery
of any Additional Notes, the Company and each Additional Purchaser shall execute
and deliver a Supplement.
The Company hereby agrees with the Purchaser named on Schedule A hereto
as follows:
1. The Company has authorized the issue and sale of $10,000,000
aggregate principal amount of its 4.58% Series K Senior Notes due June 30, 2010
(the "Series K Notes"). The Series K Notes, together with the Series B Notes
initially issued pursuant to the Note Agreement, the Series C Notes issued
pursuant to the First Supplement to Note Agreement dated as of October 1, 2000,
the Series D Notes issued pursuant to the Second Supplement to Note Agreement
dated as of September 1, 2001, the Series E Notes issued pursuant to the Third
Supplement to Note Agreement dated as of May 1, 2002, the Series F Notes issued
pursuant to the Fourth Supplement to Note Agreement dated as of August 15, 2002,
the Series G Notes issued pursuant to the Fifth Supplement to Note Agreement
dated as of November 1, 2002, the Series H Notes issued pursuant to the Sixth
Supplement to Note Agreement dated as of December 1, 2002, the Series L Notes
being issued pursuant to the Tenth Supplement to Note Agreement dated as
February 15, 2003 concurrently with these Series K Notes and each Series of
Additional Notes which may from time to time be issued pursuant to the
provisions of Section 1.4 of the Note Agreement, are collectively referred to as
the "Notes" (such term shall also include any such notes issued in substitution
therefor pursuant to Section 9.2 of the Note Agreement). The Series K Notes
shall be substantially in the form set out in Exhibit 1 hereto with such changes
therefrom, if any, as may be approved by the Purchaser and the Company.
2. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof and as set forth in the
Note Agreement and on the basis of the representations and warranties
hereinafter set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the Purchaser,
and the Purchaser agrees to purchase from the Company, Series K Notes in the
137
principal amount set forth opposite the Purchaser's name on Schedule A hereto at
a price of 100% of the principal amount thereof on the closing date hereafter
mentioned.
3. Delivery of the $10,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of the
Series K Notes will be made at the offices of Xxxxxxx and Xxxxxx, 000 Xxxx
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000-0000 against payment therefor in Federal
Reserve or other funds current and immediately available at the principal office
of Bank of America, ABA No. 000000000, Account No. 14879-00161, Account Name:
California Water Service Company Security Sales, in the amount of the purchase
price at 11:00 A.M., San Francisco, California time, on February 28, 2003 or
such later date (not later than March 5, 2003) as shall mutually be agreed upon
by the Company and the Purchaser of the Series K Notes (the "Closing Date").
4. Prepayment of Notes.
(a) Required Prepayments. No prepayments are required to be made with
respect to the Series K Notes prior to the expressed maturity date thereof other
than prepayments made in connection with an acceleration of the Series K Notes
pursuant to the provisions of Section 6.3 of the Note Agreement.
(b) Optional Prepayment with Premium. Upon compliance with Section 4(d)
below the Company shall have the privilege, at any time and from time to time,
of prepaying the outstanding Notes of any Series, either in whole or in part
(but if in part then in a minimum principal amount of $100,000) by payment of
the principal amount of the Notes of such Series, or portion thereof to be
prepaid, and accrued interest thereon to the date of such prepayment, together
with a premium equal to the Make-Whole Amount, determined as of five Business
Days prior to the date of such prepayment pursuant to this Section 4(b).
(c) Optional Prepayment at Par in the Event of Condemnation. In the
event a Material Condemnation shall have occurred with respect to any property
of the Company or a Restricted Subsidiary, then upon compliance with Section
4(d) below the Company shall have the privilege of applying the proceeds of any
condemnation award received in connection with such Material Condemnation to the
prepayment of the principal amount of the Notes of any Series then outstanding,
or any portion thereof to the extent of such proceeds, together with accrued
interest thereon to the date of such prepayment. Any optional prepayment made
pursuant to this Section 4(c) shall be without premium.
(d) Notice of Optional Prepayments. The Company will give notice of any
prepayment of the Notes pursuant to Section 4(b) or 4(c) to each Holder of Notes
to be prepaid not less than 30 days nor more than 60 days before the date fixed
for such optional prepayment specifying (a) such date, (b) the Section of this
Ninth Supplement under which the prepayment is to be made, (c) the principal
amount of the Holder's Notes to be prepaid on such date, (d) whether a premium
may be payable, (e) the date when the premium, if any, will be calculated, (f)
the estimated premium, together with a reasonably detailed computation of such
estimated premium, and (g) the accrued interest applicable to the prepayment.
Such notice of prepayment shall also certify all facts, if any, which are
conditions precedent to any such prepayment. Notice of prepayment having been so
given, the aggregate principal amount of the Notes to be prepaid specified in
such notice, together with accrued
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interest thereon and the premium, if any, payable with respect thereto shall
become due and payable on the prepayment date specified in said notice. Not
later than two Business Days prior to the prepayment date specified in such
notice, the Company shall provide each Holder of a Note to be prepaid written
notice of the premium, if any, payable in connection with such prepayment and,
whether or not any premium is payable, a reasonably detailed computation of the
Make-Whole Amount.
(e) Application of Prepayments. In the case of each partial prepayment
of the Notes pursuant to the provisions of Section 4(b) or 4(c), the principal
amount of the Notes of the Series to be prepaid shall be allocated among all of
the Notes of such Series at the time outstanding in proportion, as nearly as
practicable, to the respective unpaid principal amounts thereof.
(f) Direct Payment. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
in the Note Agreement, this Ninth Supplement or the Notes, in the case of any
Note owned by any Holder that is a Purchaser, Additional Purchaser or any other
Institutional Holder which has given written notice to the Company requesting
that the provisions of this Section 4(f) shall apply, the Company will
punctually pay when due the principal thereof, interest thereon and premium, if
any, due with respect to said principal, without any presentment thereof,
directly to such Holder at its address set forth herein or such other address as
such Holder may from time to time designate in writing to the Company or, if a
bank account with a United States bank is so designated for such Holder, the
Company will make such payments in immediately available funds to such bank
account, marked for attention as indicated, or in such other manner or to such
other account in any United States bank as such Holder may from time to time
direct in writing.
(g) Make Whole Amount. The term "Make-Whole Amount" means, with respect
to any Series K Note, an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the Discounted
Value of the Remaining Scheduled Payments with respect to the Called Principal
of such Note over the amount of such Called Principal, provided that the
Make-Whole Amount may in no event be less than zero. For the purposes of
determining the Make-Whole Amount, the following terms have the following
meanings:
"Called Principal" means, with respect to any Series K Note,
the principal of such Note that is to be prepaid pursuant to Section
4(b) or has become or is declared to be immediately due and payable
pursuant to Section 6.3 of the Note Agreement, as the context requires.
"Discounted Value" means, with respect to the Called Principal
of any Series K Note, the amount obtained by discounting all Remaining
Scheduled Payments with respect to such Called Principal from their
respective scheduled due dates to the Settlement Date with respect to
such Called Principal, in accordance with accepted financial practice
and at a discount factor (applied on the same periodic basis as that on
which interest on the Series K Notes is payable) equal to the
Reinvestment Yield with respect to such Called Principal.
"Reinvestment Yield" means, with respect to the Called
Principal of any Series K Note, 0.50%, plus the yield to maturity
implied by (i) the yields reported, as of 10:00 A.M. (New York City
time) on the fifth Business Day preceding the Settlement Date with
respect to such Called Principal, on the display page of the Bloomberg
Financial Markets
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Services Screen PX1 or the equivalent screen provided by Bloomberg
Financial Markets Commodities News for actively traded U.S. Treasury
securities having a maturity equal to the Remaining Average Life of
such Called Principal as of such Settlement Date, or (ii) if such
yields are not reported as of such time or the yields reported as of
such time are not ascertainable, the Treasury Constant Maturity Series
Yields reported, for the latest day for which such yields have been so
reported as of the second Business Day preceding the Settlement Date
with respect to such Called Principal, in Federal Reserve Statistical
Release H.15 (519) (or any comparable successor publication) for
actively traded U.S. Treasury securities having a constant maturity
equal to the Remaining Average Life of such Called Principal as of such
Settlement Date. Such implied yield will be determined, if necessary,
by (a) converting U.S. Treasury xxxx quotations to bond-equivalent
yields in accordance with accepted financial practice and (b)
interpolating linearly between (1) the actively traded U.S. Treasury
security with the maturity closest to and greater than the Remaining
Average Life and (2) the actively traded U.S. Treasury security with
the maturity closest to and less than the Remaining Average Life.
"Remaining Average Life" means, with respect to any Called
Principal, the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth
year) obtained by dividing (i) such Called Principal into (ii) the sum
of the products obtained by multiplying (a) the principal component of
each Remaining Scheduled Payment with respect to such Called Principal
by (b) the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth year)
that will elapse between the Settlement Date with respect to such
Called Principal and the scheduled due date of such Remaining Scheduled
Payment.
"Remaining Scheduled Payments" means, with respect to the
Called Principal of any Series K Note, all payments of such Called
Principal and interest thereon that would be due after the Settlement
Date with respect to such Called Principal if no payment of such Called
Principal were made prior to its scheduled due date, provided that if
such Settlement Date is not a date on which interest payments are due
to be made under the terms of the Series K Notes, then the amount of
the next succeeding scheduled interest payment will be reduced by the
amount of interest accrued to such Settlement Date and required to be
paid on such Settlement Date pursuant to Section 4(b) hereof or Section
6.3 of the Note Agreement.
"Settlement Date" means, with respect to the Called Principal
of any Series K Note, the date on which such Called Principal is to be
prepaid pursuant to Section 4(b) hereof or has become or is declared to
be immediately due and payable pursuant to Section 6.3 of the Note
Agreement, as the context requires.
5. Closing Conditions.
(a) Conditions. The obligation of the Purchaser to purchase the Series
K Notes on the Closing Date shall be subject to the performance by the Company
of its agreements hereunder which by the terms hereof are to be performed at or
prior to the time of delivery of the Series K Notes and to the following further
conditions precedent:
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(i) Closing Certificate. Such Purchaser shall have received a
certificate dated the Closing Date, signed by the President or a Vice
President of the Company, the truth and accuracy of which shall be a
condition to such Purchaser's obligation to purchase the Series K Notes
proposed to be sold to such Purchaser and to the effect that (1) the
representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Exhibit 2
hereto are true and correct on and with respect to the Closing Date,
(2) the Company has performed all of its obligations hereunder which
are to be performed on or prior to the Closing Date, and (3) no Default
or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.
(ii) Compliance Certificate. Such Purchaser shall have
received a certificate dated the Closing Date, signed by the Senior
Financial Officer of the Company stating that such officer has reviewed
the provisions of the Note Agreement and this Ninth Supplement and
setting forth the information and computation (in sufficient detail)
required in order to establish whether the Company is in compliance
with Section 5.6 of the Note Agreement on the Closing Date.
(iii) Legal Opinions. Such Purchaser shall have received from
Xxxxxxx XxXxxxxxx LLP, counsel for the Company, and Xxxxxxx and Xxxxxx,
special counsel for the Purchaser, their opinions dated the Closing
Date, in form and substance satisfactory to such Purchaser, and
covering the matters set forth respectively in Exhibits 3 and 4 hereto.
(iv) Regulatory Approval. Prior to the Closing Date, the issue
and sale of the Series K Notes shall have been duly authorized or
approved by appropriate order of the Public Utilities Commission of the
State of California (the "Commission"). Such order shall be final and
in full force and effect and not subject to any appeal, hearing,
rehearing or contest. All conditions contained in any such order which
are to be fulfilled on or prior to the issuance of the Series K Notes
shall have been fulfilled. The Company shall have delivered to the
Purchaser and its special counsel a certified copy of such order and
the application therefor.
(v) Related Transactions. The Company shall have consummated
the sale of the entire principal amount of the Series K Notes scheduled
to be sold on the Closing Date pursuant to this Ninth Supplement.
(vi) Satisfactory Proceedings. All proceedings taken in
connection with the transactions contemplated by this Ninth Supplement,
and all documents necessary to the consummation thereof, shall be
satisfactory in form and substance to such Purchaser and such
Purchaser's special counsel, and such Purchaser shall have received a
copy (executed or certified as may be appropriate) of all legal
documents or proceedings taken in connection with the consummation of
said transactions.
(vii) Purchase Permitted By Applicable Law. On the Closing
Date, the purchase of Series K Notes shall (a) be permitted by the laws
and regulations of each jurisdiction to which the Purchaser is subject,
without recourse to provisions (such as Section 1405(a)(8) of the New
York Insurance Law) permitting limited investments by insurance
companies without restriction as to the character of the particular
investment, (b) not violate any applicable law or regulation
(including, without limitation, Regulation U, T or X of the Board of
141
Governors of the Federal Reserve System) and (c) not subject the
Purchaser to any tax, penalty or liability under or pursuant to any
applicable law or regulation, which law or regulation was not in effect
on the date hereof. If requested by the Purchaser, such Purchaser shall
have received an Officer's Certificate certifying as to such matters of
fact as such Purchaser may reasonably specify to enable such Purchaser
to determine whether such purchase is so permitted.
(viii) Payment of Special Counsel Fees. The Company shall have
paid, on or before the Closing Date, the fees, charges and
disbursements of the Purchaser's special counsel referred to in (iii)
above, to the extent reflected in a statement of such counsel rendered
to the Company at least one Business Day prior to the Closing Date.
(ix) Private Placement Number. A Private Placement Number
issued by Standard & Poor's CUSIP Service Bureau (in cooperation with
the Securities Valuation Office of the National Association of
Insurance Commissioners) shall have been obtained for the Series K
Notes.
(b) The obligation of the Company to deliver the Series K Notes
hereunder is subject to the conditions that (i) the Commission shall have
authorized the issuance and sale by the Company of the Series K Notes at the
price herein provided and said authorization shall be in full force and effect
and (ii) the entire principal amount of the Series K Notes scheduled to be sold
on the Closing Date pursuant to this Ninth Supplement shall have been tendered
by the Purchaser. If the condition specified in this Section 5(b) shall not have
been fulfilled prior to or on the Closing Date, this Ninth Supplement and all
the obligations of the Company hereunder, except as provided in Section 9.4 of
the Note Agreement, may be cancelled by the Company.
(c) If on the Closing Date the Company fails to tender to the Purchaser
the Series K Notes to be issued to the Purchaser on such date or if the
conditions specified in Section 5(a) have not been fulfilled, the Purchaser may
thereupon elect to be relieved of all further obligations under this Ninth
Supplement. Without limiting the foregoing, if the conditions specified in
Section 5(a) have not been fulfilled, such Purchaser may waive compliance by the
Company with any such condition to such extent as such Purchaser may in its sole
discretion determine. Nothing in this Section 5(c) shall operate to relieve the
Company of any of its obligations hereunder or to waive the Purchaser's rights
against the Company.
6. The Purchaser represents and warrants that the representations and
warranties set forth in Section 3.2 of the Note Agreement are true and correct
on the date hereof with respect to the Series K Notes purchased by the
Purchaser.
7. The Company and the Purchaser agree to be bound by and comply with
the terms and provisions of the Note Agreement as if such Purchaser were an
original signatory to the Note Agreement.
142
California Water Service Company
Ninth Supplement
The execution hereof shall constitute a contract between the Company
and the Purchaser for the uses and purposes hereinabove set forth, and this
agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each executed
counterpart constituting an original but all together only one agreement.
California Water Service Company
By
Name: Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Title: Vice President, Chief Financial
Officer and Treasurer
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California Water Service Company
Ninth Supplement
Accepted as of February 15, 2003
Allstate Life Insurance Company
By:
Name:
By:
Name:
Authorized Signatories
144
INFORMATION RELATING TO PURCHASERS
Name and Address of Purchaser PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF
SERIES K NOTES TO BE
PURCHASED
Allstate Life Insurance Company $10,000,000
0000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx, XXX X0X
Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000-0000
Attention: Private Placements Department
Telephone Number: (000) 000-0000
Telecopier Number: (000) 000-0000
Payments
All payments on or in respect of the Notes to be made by Fedwire transfer of
immediately available funds, identifying the name of the Issuer, the Private
Placement Number preceded by "DPP" and the payment as principal, interest or
premium, in the exact format as follows:
Notices
All notices of scheduled payments and written confirmation of each such payment,
to be addressed:
Allstate Insurance Company
Investment Operations-Private Placements
0000 Xxxxxxx Xxxx, XXX X0X
Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000-0000
Telephone: (000) 000-0000 Private Placements
Telecopy: (000) 000-0000
All financial reports, compliance certificates and all other written
communications, including notice of prepayments to be addressed as first
provided above.
Name of Nominee in which Notes are to be issued: None
Taxpayer I.D. Number: 00-0000000
SCHEDULE A
(to Supplement)
[FORM OF SERIES K NOTE]
This Note has not been registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any sale, transfer, pledge or
other disposition thereof may be made only (1) in a transaction registered under
said Act or (2) if an exemption from registration under said Act is available.
CALIFORNIA WATER SERVICE COMPANY
4.58% Series K Senior Note
Due June 30, 2010
PPN 130789 P* 5
No. February 28, 2003
$
California Water Service Company, a California corporation (the
"Company"), for value received, hereby promises to pay to
or registered assigns
on the thirtieth day of June, 2010,
the principal amount of
Dollars ($____________)
and to pay interest (computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day
months) on the principal amount from time to time remaining unpaid hereon at the
rate of 4.58% per annum from the date hereof until maturity, payable
semiannually on the thirtieth day of June and the thirty-first day of December
in each year (commencing on the first of such dates after the date hereof) and
at maturity. The Company agrees to pay interest on overdue principal (including
any overdue required or optional prepayment of principal) and premium, if any,
and (to the extent legally enforceable) on any overdue installment of interest,
at the rate of 6.58% per annum after the due date, whether by acceleration or
otherwise, until paid. Both the principal hereof and interest hereon are payable
at the principal office of the Company in San Jose, California in coin or
currency of the United States of America which at the time of payment shall be
legal tender for the payment of public and private debts.
This Note is one of a series of Notes (the "Notes") issued pursuant to
the Ninth Supplement (the "Ninth Supplement") to the Note Agreement dated as of
March 1, 1999 (as from time to time amended and supplemented, the "Note
Agreement"), between the Company, the Purchaser named therein and Additional
Purchasers of Notes from time to time issued pursuant to any Supplement to the
Note Agreement. This Note and the holder hereof are entitled equally and ratably
with the holders of all other Notes of all Series from time to time
EXHIBIT 1
(to Supplement)
outstanding under the Note Agreement to all the benefits provided for thereby or
referred to therein. Each holder of this Note will be deemed, by its acceptance
hereof, to have made the representation set forth in Section 3.2 of the Note
Agreement, provided that such holder may (in reliance upon information provided
by the Company, which shall not be unreasonably withheld) make a representation
to the effect that the purchase by such holder of any Note will not constitute a
non-exempt prohibited transaction under Section 406(a) of ERISA.
This Note and the other Notes outstanding under the Note Agreement may
be declared due prior to their expressed maturity dates, all in the events, on
the terms and in the manner and amounts as provided in the Note Agreement.
The Notes are not subject to prepayment or redemption at the option of
the Company prior to their expressed maturity dates except on the terms and
conditions and in the amounts and with the premium, if any, set forth in the
Note Agreement.
This Note is registered on the books of the Company and is transferable
only by surrender thereof at the principal office of the Company duly endorsed
or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer duly executed by the
registered holder of this Note or its attorney duly authorized in writing.
Payment of or on account of principal, premium, if any, and interest on this
Note shall be made only to or upon the order in writing of the registered
holder.
This Note shall be construed and enforced in accordance with, and the
rights of the parties shall be governed by, the law of the State of California
excluding choice-of-law principles of the law of such State that would require
the application of the laws of a jurisdiction other than such State.
California Water Service Company
By
Name:
Title:
E-1-2
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
The Company represents and warrants to the Purchaser that:
1. Corporate Organization, Subsidiaries. The Company is duly organized
and existing and in good standing under and by virtue of the laws of the State
of California and is duly authorized and empowered to own and operate its
properties and to carry on its business, all as and in the places where such
properties are now owned and operated and such business is conducted. The
Company has no Subsidiaries.
2. Corporate Authority. The Company has full corporate power and
corporate authority to sell and issue the Series K Notes. The issuance and sale
of the Series K Notes and the execution and delivery of the Ninth Supplement
will have been duly authorized by the Board of Directors of the Company and by
the Public Utilities Commission of the State of California (the "Commission")
prior to the Closing Date, and no other action is required to be taken by, and
no consents or approvals are required to be obtained from, the shareholders of
the Company or any public body or bodies, and no other corporate action of the
Company is requisite to such issue and sale.
3. Business and Property. The Purchaser has heretofore been furnished
with a copy of the Company Information which generally sets forth the principal
properties of the Company and the business conducted and proposed to be
conducted by the Company.
4. Indebtedness. Annex A attached hereto correctly describes all
Current Debt, Funded Debt and Capitalized Leases of the Company outstanding on
December 31, 2002.
5. Financial Statements and Reports. The Company has furnished the
Purchaser with a copy of its audited financial reports for 1999, 2000 and 2001
and an unaudited financial report for 2002 hereinafter called the "Company
Reports," and a copy of Form 10-K filed by California Water Service Group
("CWSG") hereinafter called the "CWSG 10-K" with the Securities and Exchange
Commission for 2001, together with all reports or documents required to be filed
by CWSG pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, since the filing of the CWSG 10-K. The Company has also
furnished the Purchaser with an unaudited quarterly financial statement for the
Company for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2002, and Forms 10 Q for CWSG
for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2002 (the "Quarterly Reports"). The
financial statements contained in the foregoing Company Reports, the CWSG 10-K,
the Quarterly Reports and such other reports and documents were prepared in
accordance with generally accepted accounting principles upon a consistent basis
and are complete and correct and the balance sheets included therein fairly
present the financial condition of the Company or CWSG, as the case may be, as
at the respective dates thereof and the Statements of Income, Common
Shareholders' Equity and Cash Flows included therein fairly present the results
of the operations of the Company for the periods covered thereby, subject in the
case of unaudited statements to normal year-end adjustments.
EXHIBIT 2
6. Material Contracts. The Company has no contracts or commitments,
whether contingent or other, which are material to the Company and which were
not made in the ordinary course of business. Certain material contracts related
to water supply are listed in Annex B hereto. The Company has no contracts or
commitments, contingent or other, which materially and adversely affect or in
the future may (so far as the Company can foresee) materially and adversely
affect the Company or its business, property, assets, operations or condition,
financial or other. As of December 31, 2001, there were no material liabilities
of the Company (other than those under contracts entered into in the normal and
ordinary course of business), actual, contingent or accrued, which were not
reflected in the Company Reports and CWSG 10-K except for (i) liability in
respect of uncompleted construction work under open contracts in connection with
the Company's construction program and (ii) the obligations of the Company to
contribute to a pension plan, an employees' savings plan and a health and
welfare plan.
7. No Material Adverse Change. (a) There has been no change in the
condition of the Company, financial or other, from that set forth or reflected
in the Company Information, other than changes which may have occurred in the
ordinary course of business or by reason of ordinary dividends paid or declared
or outstanding First Mortgage Bonds redeemed by the Company in accordance with
their terms, and no such changes in the ordinary course of business have been
material adverse changes.
(b) Since December 31, 2001, neither the business, operations,
properties nor assets of the Company have been adversely affected in any
material way by any casualties such as fire, windstorm, riot, strike, explosion,
accident, flood, earthquake, lockout, sabotage, activities of armed forces, act
of God or the public enemy or condemnation of properties by the United States
government or any municipal governmental agency, authority or body.
8. Title to Properties. The Company is engaged in the business of a
public utility water company serving all or a portion of the California cities
and communities listed in the 2001 Company Report and paragraph 9 hereof. The
Company has good and merchantable title, subject only to the lien of the
Mortgage Indenture and to current tax and assessment liens, rights-of-way,
easements and certain minor liens, encumbrances, clouds or defects in title
which do not materially affect the use thereof, to all the material water
distribution facilities (including, without limitation, transmission and
distribution mains, pump stations, xxxxx, storage tanks and reservoirs) and
other material units of property used in its business except as follows:
(a) some of the offices, but not its principal office, are in
leased premises and some xxxxx, well sites and other minor distribution
facilities are rented; and
(b) several xxxxx are located on property which the Company
does not own but in which it has an easement for the location of such
xxxxx;
and except as to easements and rights-of-way and certain parcels of land (not
exceeding for said parcels of land an aggregate book value of $1,000,000)
E-2-2
with respect to which there is a possibility of reverter if the property ceases
to be used for public utility purposes, and, except that the greater portion of
its transmission and distribution systems is located in public highways and
streets and in rights-of-way owned by the Company over lands of others, the
Company's title thereto is fee simple. Except for parcels of land having an
aggregate book value of not more than $1,000,000, the Company has good and
merchantable title to all its other property and assets subject only to the lien
of the Mortgage Indenture and the lien of the Xxxxxxxxx Mortgage Indenture and
to current tax and assessment liens and minor liens and encumbrances which do
not materially affect the use thereof. All of the properties of the Company are
located in the State of California and substantially all of the properties of
the Company used or useful in its public utility business are subject to the
Mortgage Indenture. As used herein, the term "Xxxxxxxxx Mortgage Indenture"
means the Trust Indenture dated as of August 1, 1954, as supplemented from time
to time, between the Company, as successor to Xxxxxxxxx Water Company
("Xxxxxxxxx") and U.S. Bank, as Trustee, which provides a lien on properties
owned by Xxxxxxxxx immediately prior to the merger described in paragraph 9
hereof which lien secures $9,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of Dominguez
bonds which were assumed by the Company upon the merger.
9. Franchises. The Company has, in its judgment, adequate franchises
and permits without burdensome restrictions (other than those typically
contained in franchises and permits of this type) to allow the Company to
conduct the business in which it is engaged.
The Company has two classes of franchises to install and operate water
pipes and mains under public streets and highways:
(a) so-called "constitutional" franchises obtained by virtue
of the provisions of Article XI, Section 19, of the California
Constitution, as in effect prior to 1911; and
(b) franchises granted pursuant to statutory authority.
The Company believes, based on the advice of counsel (which is itself
based upon the assumption of the accuracy of information obtained by the Company
from sources believed to be reliable that the following cities served by the
Company were all incorporated prior to 1911:
Bakersfield Marysville South San Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxxx Oroville Stockton
Dixon Redondo Beach Visalia
Hermosa Beach Xxxxxxx Willows
King City San Mateo
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
that water distribution systems were constructed and service furnished to the
inhabitants of each by various predecessors of the Company prior to 1911, and
that there were no public water works owned or controlled by the municipality in
any of them prior to 1911), that the Company has a "constitutional" franchise in
each of the above cities and under such constitutional franchise has a perpetual
right which was not repealed by the repeal of Article XI, Section 19, of the
California Constitution to continue to occupy public streets of each of said
cities with its pipes and mains and to lay down additional pipes and mains in
said streets for the supplying of water, subject to reasonable regulation by the
respective municipalities. The
E-2-3
Company also believes, based on the advice of counsel, that this right is not
limited to streets in which pipes or mains were laid prior to 1911 but extends
at least to all streets in the said municipalities as they existed at the date
of repeal of the constitutional provision in 1911 and probably also extends to
territory incorporated into each respective city after such repeal, although
this latter question remains somewhat in doubt in the absence of a final
decision of the courts thereon. The Company holds either by assignment or as
original grantee franchises granted under statutory authority by the Counties of
Xxxx, Los Angeles, San Xxxxxxx, Santa Xxxxx and Monterey, the Cities of
Montebello, Torrance, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Los Altos, Mountain View,
Bakersfield, Commerce, San Xxxxxx, Rolling Hills Estates and Thousand Oaks, and
the Towns of Los Altos Hills and Xxxxxxxx. Following incorporation of the City
of Rancho Palos Verdes in 1973, the Company made franchise payments to the City
and the City accepted the same as successor in interest to the grantor's rights
under the Company's former franchise from the County of Los Angeles; the City
has agreed that the Company may exercise its rights in the City under its
current County franchise until the expiration of that franchise in 2012. The
Company's franchises from the Cities of Palos Verdes Estates, Menlo Park and
Woodside terminated in 1977, 1993 and 1994, respectively. While none of the
Cities and the Company have executed a new franchise agreement, the Company has
made and will continue to make franchise payments to each of the Cities in
accordance with the provisions of the prior franchise. In other areas where the
Company has no franchise, the Company or its predecessors have distributed water
for many years and, to the Company's knowledge, no question has ever been raised
as to the right to make such distribution and to maintain all pipes and mains
necessary therefor.
On May 25, 2000, Xxxxxxxxx Service Corporation was merged into the
Company and subsequently Xxxxxxxxx and its subsidiaries were also merged into
the Company (collectively, the "merger"). The Company acquired in the Xxxxxxxxx
merger operations in the following cities, counties, townships or localities
that Xxxxxxxxx previously served:
Xxxxxxx Xxxx County Los Angeles County
Xxxxxx Kernville Lucerne
Compton Lake Xxxxxx Mountain Shadows
Duncans Xxxxx Lakeland Onyx
Fremont Valley Lancaster Squirrel Valley
Guerneville Xxxxx Valley Torrance
Harbor City Long Beach Xxxxxxx Heights
Water distribution systems were constructed and service furnished to the
inhabitants of the localities currently known as Carson, Compton, Harbor City,
Long Beach and Torrance by various predecessors of the Company prior to 1911 and
the Company believes that it has a prior right to operate in these locations
which right was not extinguished by the incorporation of these cities subsequent
to 1911. Except as noted below, Xxxxxxxxx has no franchises from these cities
and has made no franchise payments to them and, to the Company's knowledge, no
question has ever been raised as to the right to make water distribution and to
maintain all pipes and mains necessary therefor.
As to the remaining localities, Xxxxxxxxx has received written
franchise agreements which are in full force and effect and has paid all
franchise fees to date, with the exception of Compton, as to which the franchise
expired without renewal in 1994. Xxxxxxxxx continued to provide
E-2-4
water services to Compton subsequent to the expiration of the franchise, and to
pay franchise fees, and to the Company's knowledge no question has ever been
raised as to the right to make such distribution and to maintain all pipes and
mains necessary therefor.
10. Condition of Assets. The physical assets of the Company are in
sound operating condition, there are no material arrears in the maintenance of
any such physical assets and the Company believes that its sources of water are
adequate to meet its requirements for the foreseeable future.
11. Pending Litigation, Proceedings. (a) There are no actions, suits or
proceedings pending at law or in equity or before or by any federal, state,
municipal or other governmental department, commission, board, bureau, agency or
instrumentality, domestic or foreign, or, to the knowledge of the Company,
threatened against or affecting the Company not adequately covered by insurance
or for which reserves adequate in the Company's judgment have not been
established which involve, in the opinion of the Company, a reasonable
possibility of judgments or liabilities exceeding $500,000 in the aggregate net
of insurance, or which may, in the opinion of the Company result in any material
adverse change in the business or properties or in the condition, financial or
other, of the Company, or the ability of the Company to perform its obligations
under the Ninth Supplement or the Series K Notes.
(b) There are no proceedings pending or, to the knowledge of the
Company, threatened against the Company before or by any federal, state or
municipal commission, board or other administrative agency, which materially and
adversely affect the water rates of the Company presently in effect.
(c) The Company is not in default with respect to any order, writ,
injunction or decree of any court, or any federal, state or municipal
commission, board or other administrative agency and the Company has complied
with all applicable statutes and regulations of the United States of America and
of any state, municipality or agency of any thereof, in respect of the conduct
of its business known or believed by the Company to be applicable thereto, the
failure to comply with which could reasonably be expected to have a material
adverse effect on the Company or its properties.
12. No Condemnation Proceedings. Since January 1, 1995, no elections
have been held or other actions taken authorizing the commencement of
proceedings for condemnation of any of the properties of the Company. However,
from time to time there are expressions of interest made by public bodies,
elected or appointed municipal officials, persons seeking political position or
citizens groups urging acquisition of the Company's facilities in one or more of
the communities served by the Company. The Company does not believe that any
acquisition by a city or municipality of its properties by condemnation or
threat thereof would be adverse to the holder of the Series K Notes.
13. No Burdensome Restrictions. The Company is not subject to any
burdensome corporate restrictions in its Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws or
otherwise, which materially and adversely affect or in the future may (so far as
the Company can foresee) materially and adversely affect the Company
E-2-5
or its business, property, assets, operations or condition, financial or other.
14. Regulatory Status, Approval. (a) The Company is not a registered
holding company or a subsidiary of a registered holding company and the Company
is not required to register under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of
1935, as amended. The Company is subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission.
(b) No consent of, approval or authorization by, filing or registration
with, or notice to any governmental or public authority or agency is required
for the issuance, sale or delivery of the Series K Notes or the execution,
delivery or performance of the Ninth Supplement, other than the authorization of
the Commission, which authorization has been duly obtained, is in full force and
effect and is not subject to any appeal, hearing, rehearing or contest. All
conditions contained in any such authorization which were to be fulfilled on or
prior to the issuance of the Series K Notes have been fulfilled. The Company has
furnished to your special counsel true, correct and complete copies of said
authorization and all applications heretofore filed with or submitted to the
Commission in connection with its action to obtain said authorization.
15. No Defaults, Compliance with Other Instruments. The Company is not
in default under any outstanding indentures, contracts or agreements which are
material to the Company including, without limitation, the Mortgage Indenture;
and on the Closing Date there will not exist any condition which would be a
default under any such indenture, contract or agreement. The execution and
delivery of the Ninth Supplement, the consummation of the transactions therein
provided for and compliance with the provisions of the Ninth Supplement and the
Series K Notes by the Company will not violate or result in any breach of the
terms, conditions or provisions of, or constitute a default under, its Articles
of Incorporation, By-Laws or any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, bank loan
or credit agreement, or other material agreement or instrument to which the
Company is a party or by which the Company may be bound, nor will such acts
result in the violation of any applicable law, rule, regulation or order
applicable to the Company of any court or governmental authority having
jurisdiction in the premises or in the creation or imposition of any lien,
charge or encumbrance of any nature whatsoever, upon any property or assets of
the Company.
16. Leases. The Company has the right to, and does, enjoy peaceful and
undisturbed possession under all material leases to which it is a party or under
which it is operating. All such leases are valid, subsisting and in full force
and effect, and the Company is not in default under any thereof and no event has
occurred and is continuing, and no condition exists that, after notice or
passage of time or both could become a material default under any such Lease.
17. Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the gross proceeds derived
from the sale of the Series K Notes under the Ninth Supplement to refinance
existing Indebtedness and for general corporate purposes. None of the
transactions contemplated in the Ninth Supplement (including, without limitation
thereof, the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Series K Notes) will
violate or result in a violation of Section 7 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, or any regulations issued pursuant thereto, including without
limitation, Regulations U, T and X of the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System, 12 C.F.R., Chapter II. The Company
E-2-6
does not own or intend to carry or purchase any "margin stock" within the
meaning of said Regulation U, including margin stock originally issued by it.
None of the proceeds from the sale of the Series K Notes will be used to
purchase or carry (or refinance any borrowing the proceeds of which were used to
purchase or carry) any margin stock.
18. ERISA. (a) The fair market value of all assets under all "employee
pension benefit plans" (as such term is defined in Section 3(2) of ERISA),
maintained by the Company, as from time to time in effect, exceeded as of
December 31, 2001, the last annual valuation date, the actuarial present value
of all benefits vested under the Plans by more than $10,898,000.
(b) Neither any of the Plans nor any of the trusts created thereunder,
nor any trustee or administrator thereof, has engaged in a "prohibited
transaction," as such term is defined in Section 4975 of the Code which could
subject the Plans or any of them, any such trust, or any trustee or
administrator thereof, or any disqualified person with respect to the Plans to
the tax or penalty on prohibited transactions imposed by said Section 4975,
except that, with respect to any actions or omissions of administrators,
trustees, other fiduciaries, parties in interest or disqualified persons of or
in respect to the Plans (other than employees of the Company), the Company has
no knowledge that any of such persons has committed a prohibited transaction,
nor has the Company participated knowingly in or knowingly undertaken to conceal
a prohibited transaction with or by any of such persons nor enabled any of them
to commit a prohibited transaction.
(c) Neither any of the Plans subject to Title IV of ERISA nor any
trusts related to such plans have been terminated, nor have there been any
Reportable Events, as that term is defined in Section 4043 of ERISA (as modified
by the regulations thereunder), in respect of those plans since the effective
date of ERISA.
(d) Neither any of the Plans which are subject to Section 302 of ERISA
nor any trusts related to such plans have incurred any "accumulated funding
deficiency," as such term is defined in said Section 302 (whether or not
waived), since the effective date of ERISA.
(e) The consummation of the transactions provided for in the Ninth
Supplement and compliance by the Company with the provisions thereof and the
Series K Notes issued thereunder will not involve any prohibited transaction
within the meaning of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code.
19. Taxes. All Federal, state and local taxes and assessments due from
the Company have been (a) fully paid or adequately provided for on the books of
the Company in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles or (b)
are being contested in good faith by the Company. There has been no examination
of the Federal income tax returns of the Company by the Internal Revenue Service
subsequent to the examinations of the returns for tax years 1984-1991.
20. Compliance with Laws. To the best of the Company's knowledge, after
due inquiry, the Company is in compliance with all applicable Federal, state, or
local laws, statutes, rules, regulations or ordinances relating to public heath,
safety or the environment, including, without limitation, relating to releases,
discharges, emissions or disposals to air, water, land
E-2-7
or ground water, to the withdrawal or use of ground water, to the use, handling
or disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's), asbestos or urea formaldehyde,
to the treatment, storage, disposal or management of hazardous substances
(including, without limitation, petroleum, its derivatives, by-products or other
hydrocarbons), and to exposure to hazardous substances, the failure to comply
with which could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the
Company or its properties. Except as disclosed in the "Environmental Matters"
section of Item 1 of the CWSG 10-K, the "Environmental Matters" section of
CWSG's 2001 Annual Report and the "Legal Proceedings" section of Item 3 of the
CWSG 10-K with respect to matters in Chico and Marysville, California, the
Company does not know of any liability of the Company under the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended by
the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (42 U.S.C. Section 9601
et seq.) with respect to any property now or heretofore owned or leased by the
Company.
21. Full Disclosure. The financial statements referred to in the Ninth
Supplement do not, nor does the Ninth Supplement, the Company Information or any
written statement (including without limitation the 2001 Company Report and the
2001 CWSG Report) furnished by the Company to you in connection with the
negotiation of the sale of the Series K Notes, contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or, taken together, omit a material fact necessary to make the
statements contained therein or herein not misleading. There is no fact which
the Company has not disclosed to you in writing which materially affects
adversely nor, so far as the Company can now foresee, will materially affect
adversely the properties, business, prospects, profits or condition (financial
or otherwise) of the Company or the ability of the Company to perform its
obligations under the Note Agreement, the Ninth Supplement or the Series K
Notes.
22. Private Offering. Neither the Company, directly or indirectly, nor
any agent on its behalf has offered or will offer the Series K Notes or any
similar Security or has solicited or will solicit an offer to acquire the Series
K Notes or any similar Security from or has otherwise approached or negotiated
or will approach or negotiate in respect of the Series K Notes or any similar
Security with any Person other than the Purchaser and not more than 1 other
institutional investor, who was offered a portion of the Series K Notes at
private sale for investment. Neither the Company, directly or indirectly, nor
any agent on its behalf has offered or will offer the Series K Notes or any
similar Security or has solicited or will solicit an offer to acquire the Series
K Notes or any similar Security from any Person so as to cause the issuance and
sale of the Series K Notes not to be exempt from the provisions of Section 5 of
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
X-0-0
XXXXXXX XXXX, FUNDED DEBT AND CAPITALIZED LEASES
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2002
1. Current Debt
$34,000,000 borrowed under the Company's bank short-term line of credit
with Bank of America.
2. Funded Debt
$75,700,000 outstanding under the Company's various series of First
Mortgage Bonds with due dates ranging from 2020 to 2023.
$4,000,000 First Mortgage Bonds, Series J due 2023 (formerly Xxxxxxxxx
Water Company).
$5,000,000 First Mortgage Bonds, Series K due 2012 (formerly Xxxxxxxxx
Water Company).
$20,000,000 Series A Senior Notes due November 1, 2025.
$20,000,000 Series B Senior Notes due November 1, 2028.
$20,000,000 Series C Senior Notes due November 1, 2030.
$20,000,000 Series D Senior Notes due November 1, 2031.
$20,000,000 Series E Senior Notes due May 1, 2032.
$20,000,000 Series F Senior Notes due November 1, 2017.
$20,000,000 Series G Senior Notes due November 1, 2022.
$20,000,000 Series H Senior Notes due December 1, 2022.
$2,719,000 California Department of Water Resources Loans maturing 2011
to 2032.
$430,000 obligations due on water system acquisitions.
3. Capitalized Leases
None.
ANNEX A
(to Exhibit 2)
MATERIAL WATER SUPPLY CONTRACTS
1. Water Supply Contract between the Company and the County of Butte
relating to the Company's Oroville District.
2. Water Supply Contract between the Company and Xxxx County Water Agency
relating to the Company's Bakersfield District.
3. Water Supply Contract between the Company and Stockton East Water
District relating to the Company's Stockton District.
4. Amended Contract between the Company and Stockton East Water District
relating to the Company's Stockton District.
5. Settlement Agreement and Master Water Sales Contract between the City
and County of San Francisco and Certain Suburban Purchasers.
6. Supplement to Settlement Agreement and Master Water Sales Contract
between the Company and the City and County of San Francisco relating
to the Company's Bear Gulch District.
7. Supplement to Settlement Agreement and Master Water Sales Contract
between the Company and the City and County of San Francisco relating
to the Company's San Xxxxxx District.
8. Supplement to Settlement Agreement and Master Water Sales Contract
between the Company and the City and County of San Francisco relating
to the Company's San Mateo District.
9. Supplement to Settlement Agreement and Master Water Sales Contract
between the Company and the City and County of San Francisco relating
to the Company's South San Francisco District.
10. Water Supply Contract between the Company and Santa Xxxxx Valley Water
District relating to the Company's Los Altos District.
11. Water Supply Contract between the Company and Pacific Gas and Electric
Company related to the Company's Oroville District.
12. Water Supply Contract between the Company and Alameda County Flood
Control and Water Conservation District related to the Company's
Livermore District.
13. Water Supply Contract between the Company, ARCO Products Company and
West Basin Municipal Water District relating to recycled water.
ANNEX B
(to Exhibit 2)
DESCRIPTION OF CLOSING OPINION
OF COUNSEL TO THE COMPANY
The closing opinion of Xxxxxxx XxXxxxxxx LLP, counsel for the Company,
which is called for by Section 5(a)(iii) of the Ninth Supplement, shall be dated
the Closing Date and addressed to the Purchaser, shall be satisfactory in scope
and form to the Purchaser and shall be to the effect that:
1. The Company is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing and
in corporate good standing under the laws of California.
2. The execution and delivery by the Company of the Note Agreement, the
Ninth Supplement and the Notes, and the performance by the Company of its
obligations under the Note Agreement, the Ninth Supplement and the Notes, are
within the Company's corporate powers and have been duly authorized by all
requisite corporate action on the part of the Company. The Company has duly
executed and delivered the Note Agreement, the Ninth Supplement and the Notes.
3. Each of the Note Agreement, the Ninth Supplement and the Notes
constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against
the Company in accordance with its terms. Based on Section 1646.5 of the
California Civil Code, a California state court and a Federal court which
applies the law of the State of California to the Note Agreement, the Ninth
Supplement and the Notes would recognize and give effect to the choice of law
provisions set forth in the Note Agreement, the Ninth Supplement and the Notes.
4. The execution and delivery by the Company of the Note Documents, and
compliance by the Company with the provisions thereof will not, to the best of
our knowledge, result in a breach or default (or give rise to any right of
termination, cancellation or acceleration) under the Articles of Incorporation
or By-Laws of the Company, or the Mortgage Indenture, the Credit Agreement dated
as of July 31, 2001, between the Company and Bank of America as Administrative
Agent, or any agreement or other instrument that is listed as a material
contract in CWSG's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2001. To the best of our knowledge, no consent or approval by, or any
notification of or filing with, any court, public body or authority of the State
of California is required to be obtained or effected by the Company in
connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the
Note Documents or the issuance or sale of the Notes, except for the
authorization of the Commission, which authorization has been duly obtained and
is in full force and effect.
5. Based upon the representations set forth in Section 6 of the Ninth
Supplement, the accuracy of which we have not independently verified or
investigated, the issuance, sale and delivery of the Notes under the
circumstances contemplated by the Ninth Supplement do not, under existing law,
require the registration of the Notes under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, or the qualification of the Ninth Supplement or an indenture under the
Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.
EXHIBIT 3
(to Supplement)
6. Based upon the assumption of the accuracy of information obtained by
the Company from sources believed by the Company to be reliable (a) that the
following cities served by the Company were all incorporated prior to 1911:
Bakersfield Marysville South San Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxxx Oroville Stockton
Dixon Redondo Beach Visalia
Hermosa Beach Xxxxxxx Willows
King City San Mateo
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxx
(b) that water distribution systems were constructed and service
furnished to the inhabitants of each by various predecessors of the
Company prior to 1911; and
(c) that there were no public water works owned or controlled by the
municipality in any of them prior to 1911;
in our opinion,
(i) the Company has a "constitutional" franchise in each of
the above cities and under such "constitutional" franchise has a
perpetual right which was not repealed by the repeal of Article XI,
Section 19, of the California Constitution to continue to occupy public
streets of each of said cities with pipes and mains and to lay down
additional pipes and mains in said streets for the supplying of water,
subject to reasonable regulation by the respective municipalities;
(ii) this right is not limited to streets in which pipes or
mains were laid prior to 1911 but extends at least to all streets in
the said municipalities as they existed at the date of repeal of the
constitutional provision in 1911; and
(iii) the right probably also extends to territory annexed
into each respective city after such repeal, although this latter
question is not entirely free from doubt in the absence of a final
decision of the courts thereon.
7. Xxxxxxxxx Services Corporation (along with its
subsidiaries, "Xxxxxxxxx") was merged into the Company effective May
25, 2000 and Xxxxxxxxx Water Company was also merged into the Company
effective October 12, 2000. In the Xxxxxxxxx mergers, the Company
acquired the operations of Xxxxxxxxx, which to our knowledge included
service to the following cities, counties, townships or localities:
Bodfish Kernville Mountain Shadows
Carson Lake Xxxxxx Onyx
Compton Lakeland Torrance
Duncans Xxxxx Lancaster Squirrel Valley
Fremont Valley Xxxxx Valley Xxxxxxx Heights
Guerneville Long Beach Los Angeles County
Harbor City Lucerne Xxxx County
8. We note that the Officers' Certificates state that: (a) to
the Company's knowledge, water distribution systems were constructed
and service furnished to the inhabitants of the localities currently
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known as Carson, Compton, Harbor City, Long Beach and Torrance by
various predecessors of the Company prior to 1911; (b) the Company
believes that it has a prior right to operate in these locations which
right was not extinguished by the incorporation of these cities
subsequent to 1911; (c) except as noted below, to the Company's
knowledge Xxxxxxxxx has no franchises from these cities and has made no
franchise payments to them; and (d) to the Company's knowledge, no
question has ever been raised as to the right to make water
distribution and to maintain all pipes and mains necessary therefor.
9. We note that the Officers' Certificates state that: (a) as
to the remaining localities listed in paragraph 7, to the Company's
knowledge, Xxxxxxxxx has received written franchise agreements which
are in full force and effect and has paid all franchise fees to date,
with the exception of Compton, as to which the franchise expired
without renewal in 1994; (b) to the Company's knowledge, Xxxxxxxxx
continued to provide water services to Compton subsequent to the
expiration of the franchise, and to pay franchise fees; and (c) to the
Company's knowledge, no question has ever been raised as to the right
to make such distribution and to maintain all pipes and mains necessary
therefor.
The opinion of Xxxxxxx XxXxxxxxx LLP shall cover such other matters
relating to the sale of the Series K Notes as the Purchaser may reasonably
request and shall provide that Xxxxxxx and Xxxxxx in delivering its opinion
under the Note Agreement may rely on the opinion of Xxxxxxx XxXxxxxxx LLP as to
matters of California law. With respect to matters of fact on which such opinion
is based, such counsel shall be entitled to rely on appropriate certificates of
public officials and officers of the Company.
E-3-3
DESCRIPTION OF SPECIAL COUNSEL'S CLOSING OPINION
The closing opinion of Xxxxxxx and Xxxxxx, special counsel to the
Purchaser, called for by Section 5(a)(iii) of the Ninth Supplement, shall be
dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Purchaser, shall be satisfactory in
form and substance to the Purchaser and shall be to the effect that:
1. The Company is a corporation, validly existing and in good
standing under the laws of the State of California and has the
corporate power and the corporate authority to execute and deliver the
Ninth Supplement and to issue the Series K Notes.
2. The Note Agreement and the Ninth Supplement have been duly
authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the
Company, have been duly executed and delivered by the Company and
constitute the legal, valid and binding contract of the Company
enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy,
insolvency, fraudulent conveyance and similar laws affecting creditors'
rights generally, and general principles of equity (regardless of
whether the application of such principles is considered in a
proceeding in equity or at law).
3. The Series K Notes have been duly authorized by all
necessary corporate action on the part of the Company, have been duly
executed and delivered by the Company and constitute the legal, valid
and binding obligations of the Company enforceable in accordance with
their terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance
and similar laws affecting creditors' rights generally, and general
principles of equity (regardless of whether the application of such
principles is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
4. The issuance, sale and delivery of the Series K Notes under
the circumstances contemplated by the Ninth Supplement do not, under
existing law, require the registration of the Series K Notes under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the qualification of an
indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.
The opinion of Xxxxxxx and Xxxxxx may rely upon the opinion of Xxxxxxx
XxXxxxxxx LLP as to matters of California law. The opinion of Xxxxxxx and Xxxxxx
shall also state that the opinion of Xxxxxxx XxXxxxxxx LLP is satisfactory in
scope and form to Xxxxxxx and Xxxxxx and that, in their opinion, the Purchaser
is justified in relying thereon.
In rendering the opinion set forth in paragraph 1 above, Xxxxxxx and
Xxxxxx may rely, as to matters referred to in paragraph 1, solely upon an
examination of the Articles of Incorporation certified by, and a certificate of
good standing of the Company from, the Secretary of State of the State of
California, the By-laws of the Company and the general business corporation law
of the State of California.
With respect to matters of fact upon which such opinion is based,
Xxxxxxx and Xxxxxx may rely on appropriate certificates of public officials and
officers of the Company and upon representations of the Company and the
Purchaser delivered in connection with the issuance and sale of the Series K
Notes.
EXHIBIT 4
(to Supplement)
