UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 Form 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) December 30, 2008 AMERICAN STATES WATER COMPANY (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) California 001-14431 95-4676679 (State or other jurisdiction of (Commission File Number) (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 630 East Foothill Blvd. San Dimas, California 91773 (Address of principal executive (Zip Code) offices) Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (909) 394-3600 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GOLDEN STATE WATER COMPANY (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) California 001-12008 95-1243678 (State or other jurisdiction of (Commission File Number) (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification No.) 630 East Foothill Blvd. San Dimas, California 91773 (Address of principal executive (Zip Code) offices) Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (909) 394-3600 Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing requirement of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2 below): |_| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |_| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the exchange Act (17 CFR 14a-12) |_| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |_| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) Section 5 - Corporate Governance and Management Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers On December 30, 2008, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors approved a cash bonus of $105,000 for Floyd E. Wicks, President and Chief Executive Officer of American States Water Company and its subsidiaries at that time, for his performance in 2008. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. AMERICAN STATES WATER COMPANY Date: January 2, 2009 /s/ Eva G. Tang ---------------------------------------- Eva G. Tang Senior Vice President - Finance, Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Secretary and Treasurer