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Encinitas, Carlsbad, Oceanside Reps Begin Terms on Regional Water Board
Encinitas, Carlsbad and Oceanside representatives on the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors are among seven new members who participated in their first formal meeting Jan. 26.
Encinitas Deputy Mayor Joy Lyndes, Carlsbad Councilwoman Teresa Acosta and Oceanside Water Utilities Director Lindsay Leahy are part of the Water Authority’s 24 retail member agencies, which are represented by at least one member of the 36-member Board of Directors, according to a Jan. 27 agency news release.
San Diegan Lois Fong-Sakai Elected MWD Board Secretary
San Diego County Water Authority board member Lois Fong-Sakai has been elected secretary of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Fong-Sakai, who represents the City of San Diego on the Water Authority board, is a registered civil engineer in California and Nevada. She becomes the first Asian-American to service on the board of the Los Angeles-based water wholesaler serving nearly 19 million people in six counties.
Katz Elected Board Chair of San Diego County Water Authority
Water is our most precious resource, and business owner and civic leader Mel Katz knows it.
“It’s the lifeblood of our county and economy,” said Katz, a Del Mar resident and as of Oct. 1, the chairman of the board of directors for the San Diego County Water Authority, the region’s wholesale supplier of water.
Water Affordability Focus of Water Authority Roundtable
Water affordability for ratepayers was the topic of discussion during a legislative roundtable Thursday at the San Diego County Water Authority.
The Water Authority convened state, regional and local officials in search of winning strategies for enhancing water affordability for ratepayers across the county and the state.
Water agency managers, board members, elected officials and their representatives from throughout the county joined E. Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, to assess and address water affordability issues.
Esquivel was appointed to the Water Resources Control Board by Governor Jerry Brown in March 2017. In February 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom named Esquivel chair of that five-member board, to which he was reappointed in 2021.
During the roundtable, Esquivel said maintaining water affordability and access to safe water for Californians is challenged by pressures that include aging infrastructure and climate change.
“How to sustain our systems in the next 10, 20, 50 years is a complex issue, but we need to collectively expand access, while maintaining affordability and supply,” he said.
Water affordability and infrastructure projects
Esquivel said state loans to water projects statewide help water affordability and access to a safe, clean supply.
“Water has created the wealth of this state, and water supply investments made here are examples of what needs to be done,” said Esquivel, referring to successful supply diversification investments by the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies.
He also discussed the need for additional water infrastructure projects – including desalination, groundwater recharge, and potable reuse, and an increase in funding sources for those projects – and the importance of federal funding to help ensure access to safe and affordable water for all communities.
State Water Resources Control Board Chair E. Joaquin Esquivel and San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl discussed water affordability Sept. 29 in San Diego. Photo: San Diego County Water Authority
Water Authority commitment to affordability
Water Authority General Manager Sandra Kerl detailed some of the agency’s affordability efforts in recent years.
“The Water Authority is committed to maintaining an affordable water supply and finding solutions to inherently complex challenges related to water costs, rates and investments,” said Kerl. “Significant advances in affordability can only be achieved through the combined efforts of all four sectors that affect the cost of water for our region. Those sectors are the federal government, state government, wholesale water agencies and local water retailers.”
Reliable supply
Kerl said the Water Authority’s commitment to affordability includes securing $25 million from the State of California to pay water bills for San Diego County residents impacted by COVID-19; securing $90 million over the past two years through successful litigation efforts and distributing that money directly to its 24 member agencies; avoiding hundreds of millions of dollars in future costs on water deliveries; and maintaining strong credit ratings that reduce the cost of infrastructure.
“Everything at the Water Authority is designed to deliver a safe and reliable water supply at an affordable cost, and the agency has taken numerous steps over the past three years to enhance affordability,” Kerl said. “Water affordability is imperative to equitable water access. This resource should be available to all regardless of race, ethnicity, or income level. Nobody should have to choose between safe, clean water and affordable water.”
Collaboration on solutions
Kerl said that the federal and state government, wholesale water agencies, and local water retailers can work together in finding solutions to the complex challenges related to water costs, rates and investments.
A recent poll by the Water Authority found that more than half of the residents of San Diego County would support a hypothetical program that provided water discounts or an assistance program for low-income ratepayers – even if they had to pay a few dollars more a month to fund it.
The Water Authority holds periodic legislative roundtables to promote collaboration with the water industry, civic and business leaders, on critical water issues in the San Diego region.
Civic Leader Mel Katz to Begin 2-Year Term as Water Authority Board Chair
New officers for the San Diego County Water Authority board of directors were elected Thursday, with Mel Katz set to start a two-year term as chair on Oct. 1.
Katz, vice chair of the board for the past six months as a representative for Del Mar, will serve with incoming vice chair Nick Serrano, a board representative from the city of San Diego, and incoming secretary Frank Hilliker.
David J. Edwards Joins Water Authority as General Counsel
The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors on August 25, announced the hiring of David J. Edwards as the agency’s new general counsel after a nationwide search. He starts his post on Oct. 3, replacing Mark Hattam, who is staying on staff for a few months before retirement to help with the transition.
Edwards has served as deputy city attorney and lead counsel for the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power since 2011, defending the city’s water rights in the Eastern Sierra and the Los Angeles Aqueduct. He brings nearly 17 years of public service at LADWP, the past 12 of which directly relate to water, natural resources, power, and public utility/agency issues. Edwards received his juris doctorate degree from Arizona State University, and he is bar-certified in California, Arizona, and Colorado.
Significant experience with western water issues
Edwards’ current practice focuses on water rights/resource development, the Endangered Species Act, Native American issues, sustainability, legislative/regulatory affairs, and other environmental considerations related to public power/alternative energy development, CEQA and compliance with open government laws, including the Brown Act. He also brings significant experience working on issues related to the Colorado River, the Imperial Irrigation District, and the Salton Sea.
The San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors on Thursday announced the hiring of David J. Edwards as the agency’s new general counsel after a nationwide search. He starts his post on Oct. 3.
Hattam, the outgoing general counsel, started with the Water Authority in 2016 and has spent most of the past three decades litigating water issues in California.
“It’s hard to lose Mark Hattam. He served the Water Authority with distinction and handled extremely complex issues with great intellect and instinct,” said Water Authority Board Chair Gary Croucher. “At the same time, we are thrilled to welcome David Edwards, who brings with him a wealth of experience and impressed the Board with both his legal acumen and his knowledge of Western water. We look forward to his many contributions to the San Diego region.”
“Complex challenges”
As general counsel, Edwards will advise the Water Authority’s Board and executive staff on a range of legal matters, including the agency’s litigation over rates set by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. The Water Authority is the San Diego region’s wholesale water supplier, providing imported supplies and desalinated seawater to 24 member agencies that serve 3.3 million residents and support a $240 billion economy.
The Board of Directors approved Edwards’ terms of employment during its regular monthly meeting. Edwards will report directly to the Board.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to join the Water Authority’s team of dedicated water professionals and board members at this critical juncture in the history of water in the West,” Edwards said. “San Diego County has positioned itself well for the future – but we know that future will be full of complex challenges that require continued determination to sustain the region’s economy and quality of life.”
Committed to Conservation
Our investments to protect San Diego County from the harsh effects of the worst drought in 1,200 years continue to pay off. Last week, the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors unanimously adopted a resolution reaffirming our commitment to water conservation after we were joined by California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, and many regional leaders to commit to additional water-saving measures that stretch our limited resources.
My sincere thanks go out to Secretary Crowfoot and Mayor Gloria for their leadership, as well as the many other civic and business leaders who joined us to promote the Summer of Water Savings. We are proud to have coordinated regional efforts to maximize San Diego priorities and efficiencies within the San Diego County economy and quality of life.
Committed to Conservation
Our investments to protect San Diego County from the harsh effects of the worst drought in 1,200 years continue to pay off. Last week, the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors unanimously adopted a resolution reaffirming our commitment to water conservation after we were joined by California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, and many regional leaders to commit to additional water-saving measures that stretch our limited resources.
My sincere thanks go out to Secretary Crowfoot and Mayor Gloria for their leadership, as well as the many other civic and business leaders who joined us to promote the Summer of Water Savings. We are proud to have coordinated regional efforts to maximize San Diego priorities and efficiencies within the San Diego County economy and quality of life.
Summer of Water Savings
The list of supporting organizations includes the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the San Diego County Farm Bureau, the San Diego Tourism Authority, Biocom California, the South County Economic Development Council, the East County Economic Development Council, the Industrial Environmental Association, the Asian Business Association, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the Building Industry Association of San Diego, the San Diego Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the Building Owners and Managers Association.
I’m also grateful to every San Diegan who helped reduce per capita water use in our region by more than 40% over the past three decades. We have made water conservation a way of life — but the fact is that we can and should do more. We don’t know what the future may bring. The water we save now, the more we will have if conditions worsen.
Collaboration on conservation, investments
We are committed as a region to answering the Governor’s call to step up conservation efforts in the face of extreme hot and dry conditions statewide. We are collaborating with the Department of Water Resources’ Save Our Water program, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and our 24 member agencies on public outreach and education efforts this summer to stop water waste and increase conservation efforts to stretch our water supplies.
We also are extremely proud of the investments our member agencies are making in water repurification projects that will sustain our region in the future. It is through forward-thinking projects like these, combined with our historic water conservation agreements, that we will continue to lead California in water supply reliability and conservation. And our success in this generational mission is a model for how to sustain the long-term health of our communities, farms, environment, and economy.
San Diegans Asked to Cut Back On Water Usage
It’s time to cut back on water usage. That’s the message from city, county and state leaders Thursday afternoon as officials say this is the worst drought in 1,200 years. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria joined Wade Crowfoot, Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency and Gary Croucher, Chair of the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors for the announcement.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
