One day after a story ran in The Bee aabout the race for the Malaga County Water District board, an anonymous flyer showed up in mailboxes in Malaga that criticized the two candidates challenging the incumbents. In the story, the challengers questioned a policy that allows current board members to receive an average of $15,000 a year in addition to their regular stipends.

The flyer purports to be a campaign advertisement for the challengers, but it's obvious that's not the case. The flyer says that if Armando Mendez Blancas and Florence M. Valdez are elected on Nov. 3, they will close the district's park, fire staff, and "BRING DISRUPTION TO THE COMMUNITY (AGAIN!)."

Blancas and Valdez were both recalled from their seats on the district's board in 2005 after they voted to lay off workers at the water district because of budget constraints. The flyer goes on to say: "WE WILL TAKE AWAY ALL THE GOOD THAT THE CURRENT BOARD HAS PROVIDED FOR MALAGA. WE WILL PROMISE TO MAKE YOUR LIFE HERE IN THE COMMUNITY A LIVING NIGHTMARE."

It's signed: "Thank you, Happy Halloween."

In a note to The Bee, Blancas wrote: "This is the kind of thing that happens when you speak out against them."

The policy that was criticized by Blancas and Valdez says that board members are entitled to health insurance benefits valued at $900 to $1,200 per month, even though they meet just twice a month. Those who already are insured can receive an in-lieu payment instead. All five board members take the in-lieu payments.

Last year, the Fresno County Grand Jury issued a report that criticized the board for its in-lieu payments.