Candidate for
Director; Santa Clara Valley Water District; Division 4

Everyone who lives, works, plays, visits, or raises a family in Santa Clara County is concerned with water. Water is crucial to us. Is it clean? Is there enough? Is there too much? These questions are tackled on a daily basis by the Santa Clara Valley Water District.

After retiring from the District I ran against and defeated the incumbent for the District 4 seat on the board of Directors. I did this because I firmly believed that the potential of the water district to serve this community was not being met. Now we are just about there.

Since I began my service on the board:

• I introduced Policy Governance to the District so that there could be true accountability.
• Recommended that the district manage by watershed so that staff has a sense of ownership and fostered the values of serving the customers of the District, the people of Santa Clara County.
• I helped to craft the Clean, Safe Creek and Natural Flood Control special tax (measure B 2000) which the voters approved by better than a 2/3 vote.
• Because of measure B we are now working on:
• New flood control projects throughout the county
• Building trails
• Providing brackish water and fresh water wetland enhancements
• Cleaning trash and graffiti
• Our treatment plants are being upgraded to meet new federal safe drinking water standards
• Groundwater basins are being restored
• With my fellow board members, I provided policy direction that ensures that the District staff is to look like the community we serve and that we will respect our racial, ethnic, and gender differences.

• I have chaired the Board Ad Hoc management audit committee through three completed management audits of the flood control program, the legal department and the water utility division.
• I am currently leading that audit committee through a management audit of the entire District.
• At my request the makeup of this audit committee is three Board members and four community stakeholders, one each from the Water Commission, the Agricultural Advisory Committee, the Environmental Advisory Committee and the Water retailers in the County.
• The committee developed the scope of work, selected the consultant to do the audit and they are receiving regular reports on the progress of the audit.
• This is an independent audit of the District and is not managed or controlled by staff. The finding of the audit will provide opportunities for improvement that will be implemented.