City of Oroville sues over 2017 spillway emergency - KCRA.com

OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) —

A small California city at the base of the tallest U.S. dam filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the state over an emergency that forced authorities to order 188,000 people to flee last year, arguing the crisis was caused by decades of mismanagement.

The City of Oroville blames a culture of cronyism and a priority for low cost dam repairs over quality maintenance for the crisis.

"This was no natural disaster. This was 20 years of putting profits in the pockets and the hell with safety," said Joe Cotchett, an attorney with Cotchett, Pitre and McCarthy.


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