Tag Archive for: SANDAG

SLIDER Water Authority building

Board Chair Announces Committee Leadership for 2025-2026

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San Diego County Water Authority Board Chair Nick Serrano has appointed new leadership for the Board’s committees and regional boards. These positions are responsible for running vital committees that impact all aspects of the Water Authority’s operations and representing the Water Authority on key regional bodies.

“I am proud to announce these appointments, which reflect the expertise, dedication, and leadership needed to advance our priorities for the San Diego region,” said Chair Serrano. “This group of leaders brings diverse perspectives to the table and shares my commitment to keeping water rates low, ending the era of litigation that has stood in the way of collaborative decision-making for the Southwest, fostering regional collaboration across Southern California, and ensuring a sustainable future for San Diego County.”

Board Chair Nick Serrano.

The new San Diego County Water Authority committee chairs are:

• Ismahan Abdullahi (City of San Diego) – Administrative & Finance Committee
• Amy Reeh (Yuima Municipal Water District) – Engineering & Operations Committee
• Neal Meyers (Olivenhain Municipal Water District) – Imported Water Committee
• Valentine Macedo, Jr. (City of San Diego) – Legislation & Public Outreach Committee
• Marty Miller (Vista Irrigation District) – Water Planning & Environmental Committee

Chair Serrano also appointed Chair Emeritus Mel Katz (City of Del Mar) to be San Diego’s new delegate to the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) of Southern California. Katz replaces former MWD Director Tim Smith (Otay Water District), who retired from this position late last year. Katz was officially sworn-in to his new role as an MWD delegate last week.

In addition, Board Secretary Joy Lyndes (San Dieguito Water District) will serve as the Water Authority’s primary representative to SANDAG.

“Together, we will continue to build on the progress we’ve made, tackle the challenges ahead, and deliver innovative solutions that meet the needs of our communities,” Serrano said. “I have full confidence in this team’s ability to advance our collective vision for a stronger, more affordable, and more resilient water future.”

The Water Authority’s 22 member agencies are represented through a 34-member Water Authority Board of Directors. At least one director from each agency sits on the Board. The Board establishes and administers policies for the Water Authority, and generally holds its regular meetings on the fourth Thursday of every month with special workshops and other meetings as needed.

San Dieguito Lagoon Restoration Project Will Convert 84 Acres of Wetlands

/in , /by /SD Today by Monica Garske

SANDAG crews continue to work on the San Dieguito Lagoon Restoration project in Del Mar, which will convert 84 acres — or approximately 63 football fields — of former agricultural fields to saltwater wetlands.

Let’s dredge up the project’s goals and progress for the portion of the lagoon system east of Interstate 5 at El Camino Real and Villa De La Valle known as W-19.

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Opinion: SANDAG’s Voting System Unfairly Disadvantages Small Cities, Stifles Regional Collaboration

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Jim Desmond Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Hasan Ikhrata, the departing CEO of the San Diego Association of Governments, inherited a board plagued by dysfunction when he took office in December 2018. Though not solely the fault of its membership, the dysfunction is due to a change in the voting process of the countywide transportation agency. The new process was passed by Sacramento politicians and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017. The new voting process alienated many of SANDAG members and drove a wedge into the agency that still exists today.

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Unincorporated San Diego County Communities Want More Say in Regional Decision-making

/in , /by /Ramona Sentinel by Julie Gallant Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

A proposal by a Ramona Community Planning Group member to add an advisory board member to represent the county’s unincorporated communities on the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) could soon move forward in the approval process.

On Tuesday, May 23, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will consider a resolution to add another adviser to the Board of Directors for SANDAG, a regional planning agency that considers transportation, housing and fire evacuation safety issues in addition to making funding decisions for related projects.

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San Diego to Create Regional Park in Long-Neglected Chollas Creek Area in Southeastern San Diego

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribune by David Garrick

San Diego’s recent push to boost its poorest, most parks-deficient neighborhoods will accelerate this summer when the city designates much of southeastern San Diego as Chollas Creek Regional Park.

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Carlsbad Committee Shakeup Bumps Schumacher from SANDAG, CEA

/in , , /by /The Coast News Groupby Steve Puterski Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

During a Jan. 12 Carlsbad City Council meeting, the city reorganized members for its regional and municipal committees, including prominent board seats on the San Diego Association of Governments and Clean Energy Alliance.

Mayor Matt Hall will return to the SANDAG board of directors, while Councilwoman Priya Bhat-Patel will join the Clean Energy Alliance board while remaining with North County Transit District.

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Carlsbad Supports Modified Plan to Restore Buena Vista Lagoon

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Phil Diehl

A hard-fought compromise on the saltwater restoration of the Buena Vista Lagoon won the enthusiastic support of the Carlsbad City Council last week.

The agreement between property owners, nonprofits and multiple governmental agencies outlines a plan to remove the weir, or low wooden dam at the mouth of the lagoon, and excavate the entire 220-acre preserve to restore tidal flushing.

Silt has been steadily filling the lagoon since the weir was built in the 1970s, and in the last 30 years about 62 acres of the formerly open water has been filled by cattails and reeds. Without intervention, the lagoon would continue to fill with sediment and vegetation until it eventually disappears.

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To Prevent Rail Line Collapse, San Diego Area Spends $10 Million To Repair Del Mar Bluffs

/in , /by /Los Angeles Times by Joshua Emerson Smith

The Del Mar bluffs have been plagued by a series of collapses over the last 18 months that have left residents and officials increasingly concerned about the stability of the busy railroad tracks perched atop the cliffs.

Top transportation officials are now gearing up for the largest bluff stabilization effort in nearly a decade. The San Diego Assn. of Governments and North County Transit District have already dedicated roughly $10 million to repair storm water drainage structures, replace parts of sea walls and install additional steel and concrete support columns to hold back the earth.

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SANDAG Board OKs Formula For New Homebuilding

/in , /by /KPBS Radio San Diegoby Andrew Bowen

Elected officials from across San Diego County on Friday approved a new long-term home building plan that prioritizes areas rich with public transit and jobs.

Board members of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) are responsible for determining where 171,000 new homes should be built in the county over the next decade. The process, known as the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, is meant to ensure cities are planning for enough new homes in places where they are needed the most.

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