GOLDEN STATE WATER COMPANY PENSION RESTORATION PLAN,

Exhibit 10.1

GOLDEN STATE WATER COMPANY
PENSION RESTORATION PLAN,
AS AMENDED THROUGH
MAY 18, 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GOLDEN STATE WATER COMPANY
PENSION RESTORATION PLAN

THIS PLAN, originally effective the 1st day of January, 1997, is hereby amended and restated effective May 18, 2009, by Golden State Water Company, a California corporation (“Company”), and evidences the terms of a Pension Restoration Plan for certain executives.

W I T N E S S E T H
ARTICLE I
TITLE, PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS

1.1 - Title .

This plan shall be known as the “Golden State Water Company Pension Restoration Plan.”

1.2 - Purpose .

The purpose of this Plan is to supplement retirement benefits payable to certain participants in the Golden State Water Company Pension Plan, as amended and in effect from time to time (the “Pension Plan”) by making up benefits which are reduced by virtue of Sections 401(a)(17) or 415 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.  No payment shall be made under this Plan which duplicates a benefit payable under any other deferred compensation plan or employment agreement of the Company.

1.3 - Definitions .

Unless defined herein, any word, phrase or term used in this Plan with initial capitals shall have the meaning given therefor in the Pension Plan.

“Actuarial Equivalent” shall mean an equivalent value compared using the interest rate and mortality assumptions used under the Pension Plan for purposes of determining actuarially equivalent benefits.

“Company” means Golden State Water Company or any successor corporation by merger, consolidation, or otherwise.

“Employer” means the Company and any subsidiary or any other member of its consolidated group (for federal tax purposes) designated by the Board of Directors to participate in the Plan.

“Eligible Employee”:

Prior to January 1, 2006, “Eligible Employee” means each individual who meets each of the following requirements: (1) he or she is an officer of the Employer; (2) he or she is a participant in the Pension Plan; (3) his or her Pension Plan benefits are reduced by the application of Sections 401(a)(17) or 415 of the Code; and (4) he or she is designated as an Eligible Employee by the Board of Directors.

On and after January 1, 2006, “Eligible Employee” means each individual who meets each of the following requirements:  (1) he or she is an officer of the Employer; (2) he or she is a participant in the Pension Plan; and (3) he or she is designated as an Eligible Employee by the Board of Directors.

“Participant” means any Eligible Employee who is eligible for participation in this Plan as specified in Section 2.1.

“Plan” means the Golden State Water Company Pension Restoration Plan as set forth in this Agreement and all subsequent amendments hereto.

“Plan Year” means the calendar year.

“Separation from Service” means a Participant’s death, retirement or other termination of employment from the Employer that constitutes a “separation from service” within the meaning of Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-1(h), without regard to the optional alternative definitions available thereunder.

“Similar Plan” means a plan required to be aggregated with this Plan under Treasury Regulations Section 1.409A-1(c)(2)(i)(A).  

“Specified Employee” means a “Specified Employee,” under Section 409A of the Code and the regulations thereunder, as determined by the Committee.  

ARTICLE II
PARTICIPATION

2.1 - Eligibility Requirements .

An Employee who is an Eligible Employee shall become a Participant on the later of the date he or she becomes vested under the Pension Plan or becomes an Eligible Employee.

ARTICLE III
PAYMENT OF BENEFITS

3.1 - Payment .

There shall be no funding of any benefit which may become payable hereunder.  The Company may, but is not obligated to, invest in any assets or in life insurance policies which it deems desirable to provide assets for payments under this Plan but all such assets or life insurance policies shall remain the general assets of the Company.  In connection with any such investments and as a condition of further participation in this Plan, Participants shall execute any documentation reasonably requested by the Company.

ARTICLE IV

RETIREMENT BENEFITS

4.1 - Retirement Benefit .

Subject to Section 4.3, a Participant’s retirement benefit under this Plan shall equal the excess of (1) over (2) where:

(1) equals the Participant’s vested retirement benefit under the Pension Plan, commencing on the date set forth in Section 4.3, and payable in the form of benefit elected by the Participant (and spouse, if applicable) in accordance with Section 4.3 of this Plan, calculated by (i) ignoring Sections 401(a)(17) and 415 of the Code (and the Pension Plan provisions implementing those Code sections); (ii) including in the definition of “Compensation” payments made to an officer of the Company pursuant to any “cash pay” annual performance incentive plan of the Company (other than any extraordinary bonus, including any holiday, year end, anniversary or signing bonus) and dividend equivalents paid in cash to the officer in connection with awards granted prior to 2006 under an equity incentive plan of the Company; and (iii) treating “A” in Section 4.2 of the Pension Plan as equaling 2% per year of Credited

Service (including partial years) prior to 2006 (or, if later, the date the individual becomes a Plan Participant) and 3% per year of Credited Service (including partial years) after 2005 (or, if later, the date the individual becomes a Plan Participant) up to a combined maximum of 60% for the total sum.  This modified formula is calculated as 2% times X plus 3% times Y (up to a maximum of 60% for the total sum) minus Z where X is the Participant’s years of Credited Service (including partial years) before 2006 (or, if later, the date the individual becomes a Plan Participant) and Y is the Participant’s years of Credited Service (including partial years) after 2005 (or, if later, the date the individual becomes a Plan Participant) and Z is the lesser of 1.67% of the Participant’s Old Age Retirement Benefit (as defined in the Pension Plan) or 1% of Compensation times the Participant’s years of Credited Service (including partial years); and

(2) equals the vested retirement benefit that would be payable under the Pension Plan if such benefit began on the date set forth in Section 4.3 and was payable in the form of benefit elected by the Participant (and spouse, if applicable) under the Plan.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to Participants employed on January 1, 2006, if greater, the amount under (1) above will equal the Participant’s vested retirement benefit under the Pension Plan (based on the normal retirement benefit formula described in Section 4.2 of the Pension Plan), commencing on the date set forth in Section 4.3, and payable in the form of benefit elected by the Participant (and spouse, if applicable) in accordance

with Section 4.3 of this Plan, calculated by ignoring Section 401(a)(17) and 415 of the Code (and the Pension Plan provisions implementing those Code Sections) and including in the definition of “Compensation” payments made to an officer of the Company pursuant to any “cash pay” annual performance incentive plan of the Company (other than any extraordinary bonus, including any holiday, year end, anniversary or signing bonus) and dividend equivalents paid in cash to the officer in connection with awards granted prior to 2006 under an equity incentive plan of the Company.  

4.2 - Benefit Limitation .

Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Plan, in the event that any benefit provided under this agreement would, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, not be deductible in whole or in part in the calculation of the federal income tax of the Company by reason of Section 280G of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), the aggregate benefits provided hereunder shall be reduced so that no portion of any amount which is paid to the Participant or Beneficiary is not deductible for tax purposes by reason of Section 280G of the Code.

4.3 - Time and Form of Retirement Benefits .

(A)       Within 60 days following the later of (1) the Participant’s Separation from Service or (2) the date the Participant attains age 55, the Employer shall commence to pay to such retired Participant (or beneficiary, if applicable, after the Participant’s death) the

monthly retirement benefit to which the Participant is entitled under this Plan, and payable in the form of benefit elected by the Participant