When I tell people that I’m running for Director of District 2 of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the two reactions I get are “Huh?” and “Didn’t we just have an election?” The first is the more common. The water district is a countywide agency responsible for wholesale water supply, flood control and watershed stewardship. It has a budget of over $360 million a year, and voters don’t know that they have any say over how it’s run.
That’s not to say that the district performs no public outreach. I’m sure many people are familiar with the wet-year “Hey Noah” and the current dry-year “Extremes Not Required” ad campaigns, but the actual governance of the district is a vast unknown.
Last year, Greg Zlotnick, the elected Director for District 5 (which encompasses Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Cupertino, Saratoga, and portions of San Jose and Sunnyvale) resigned and immediately took a highly-paid management position at the district, reporting to then-CEO, Stan Williams, but with no actual staff to manage himself. Although Mr. Zlotnick is very knowledgeable on water issues, with special expertise on the delta, it is clear that he identified more closely with the agency he was elected to oversee than with the voters who elected him, viewing the move as more of a lateral transfer rather than a profound shift of allegiance.
Once someone paid attention, in the form of Scott Herhold of the Mercury News, people finally took notice of the district board, and not in a good way. After the story broke, the board reacted, adopting new policies to prevent board members from joining the district staff immediately, to require the CEO to get approval before filling unclassified positions, and to move the district counsel to report directly to the board. Stan Williams was forced to retire. And yet, many of the board members do not seem chastened by the experience; if anything, they are bitter and resent the new policies they felt forced to adopt.
The Mercury, which surely bears some responsibility for ignoring the district for so long, called for competition in the three districts that are up for election in June. I am the only person who has taken up the challenge.
Obscure or not, the Santa Clara Valley Water District affects everyone in the county. We pay for it with parcel taxes and water rates. Its huge capital projects reshape our creeks and try to protect homes built in the floodplains. And every time we turn on the taps, we depend upon its treatment of the water we drink, half of which originates in the Sierra as pure snowmelt, but becomes something quite different in its long journey through the mess that is the delta.
It’s time for representation on the board that has first loyalty to the voters, not to the agency it oversees. It’s time to involve the community in a discussion of the future of our water supplies. It’s time for a change at the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
For more information, please go to dianafoss.com
District 2 includes central and downtown San Jose, portions of East San Jose, and Willow Glen.
I recently saw a PSA advising that tap water was held to more strict purity standards than the stuff people pay for that comes in a plastic bottle. I would like to see more of an effort to curb the bottled water phenomenon and the proliferation of discarded plastic that it fosters.
While I don’t like the chlorinated taste and odor that comes from my tap water, my refrigerator’s ice maker and chilled water supply runs through a filter and this is what I use for drinking and making coffee. I think the bottled water thing has gotten completely out of hand, especially when you consider companies like Coca Cola have been in on it for quite a while now. For people without the option for water filtered by their refrigerators, Britta type filtering systems are very effective and probably pay for themselves quickly over the cost of bottled water.
I’d like to see a campaign from the district that would continue to expose the negative effects of the bottled water craze and make people realize that their own tap water is safer than anything that comes in a bottle.
Diana, you’re right, it is time for change and more accountability. I notice that the Water District spends a lot of money on advertising and PR…not sure any of that is necessary. AND, I thought that I saw their rep on TV recently indicating that Lexington would be drained to repair or install a new pipe. (Why don’t they do that repair in the late Fall?)
The VTA and the Water District should be directly accountable to the people.
Pete Campbell
Mark and Pete, thank you for your comments.
Mark I agree with you 100% percent about the bottled water issue. What other commodity do we get delivered right to our kitchen? To go out and spend much more money on the same product, with added packaging and transport, is wrong.
Pete, I think there is a lot of outreach that needs to happen about water conservation (and bottled water!) but I’m with you on the accountability. I’ll find out why the Lexington work was timed the way it was.
I frequently walk our waterways here in Santa Clara County- Los Gatos Creek Trail, the levees along the perc ponds off Guadalupe Creek, Alamitos Creek, etc.
I seldom see anybody doing any work on the waterways.
I also walk around the lake adjacent to SCVWD headquarters on Almaden Expressway. There are many cars in the parking lot (except for before 9AM, after 5 PM, weekends, and Cesar Chavez Day) and presumably lots of busy employees inside this modern, impressive, comfortable looking edifice.
I just wonder what percentage of the $360,000,000 budget gets spent on doing any actual work on any actual waterway, and what percentage goes towards generous salary, pensions, sick pay, vacation pay, disability pay, car allowances, and “fact-finding missions” of the employees who hang out indoors all day pushing paper and computer keys.
I shall vote for you Diana and perhaps you can find out for me!
“There are many cars in the parking lot (except for before 9AM, after 5 PM, weekends, and Cesar Chavez Day)”
Nice slur. Are you finfan? Is that why you think East San Jose residents who live near Reid-Hillview should have their children taken away from them?
“Perhaps the County does need to step in and have Child Protective Services take these kids away from these irresponsible, negligent parents!”’
#3 at
http://sanjoseinside.com/sji/blog/entries/closing_reed_hillview_airport_will_not_solve_county_deficit/
I’m all for term limits. I see “Sig Sanchez” and immediately think “gravy train.”
As for John’s remarks about the parking lot, perhaps he should have used Columbus Day instead of Ceasar Chavez Day so as not to ruffle any overly sensitive feathers into a ridiculous knee-jerk response. Anybody with half a brain could see that what John was trying to indicate is that these agencies are worse than banks when it comes to observing bogus holidays. That’s all.
Diana, sounds good. If we vote for you will you join others on the Board and vote to bring the “Sunshine Laws” to the Water District? In essance “open Government”.
I use the Los Gatos and Almaden Trails daily. The San Jose Water District has been good in helping us in developing trails, very unlike the San Jose Water Company. I hope this co-operation will continue.
Diana,
Nothing surprises us in San Jose. Greg Zlotnick leaving the Board and going to work for the Water District? This is the way things have been going on in the City and County for years. Les White did a great job stabelizing our City after the Ron Gonzales fiasco.Next Les appointed Management Partners Inc.,with a bueatiful consulting contract for San Jose, thenleft the City and was hired by Management Partners.
The more things change the more they remain the same.
Richard, I certainly think that every public agency, including the SCVWD, should bring more transparency and openness to their functions. If elected, I would work for strong “Sunshine” policies. That said, the District is already moving in that direction. I am also an avid trail user, and I agree that the system has benefitted from the SCVWD’s hard work and cooperation with the cities. An even bigger trail system will help more people get out of their cars, and care for our urban waterways.
“Just Like San Jose,” Greg Zlotnick is actually from Mountain View, but point taken.
#3 Diana: I find it odd that a candidate for a seat on the Water District Board cannot answer a basic question (“Why don’t they do that repair in the late Fall?”) about the largest project the District currently has going.
The reason this $26-million dollar project cannot be timed “in the late Fall” is that it is a massive engineering project that involves drilling and hacking through the adjacent hillside to build a bypass tunnel.
The blue sky estimate for this project is 18 months, which means the reservoir levels have to be kept low through at least 1 rainy season.
All of this has been well publicized in the media. You can also find information about this project on the Water District’s web site.
Change is great, but I will vote for the candidate who is best prepared to take up the work of the Water District.
Lex, it’s certainly true that the SCVWD has many complicated capital projects whose details I don’t yet have at my fingertips. Thanks for the reminder to look at the District’s website valleywater.org, where there is a real wealth of information. The Board, however, is responsible for setting policy and representing the interests of the electorate, not for the day-to-day operations of the District.
Question: What happens when an Eagle Eye is attached to a turkey brain? Answer: See post #5.
How is John Galt’s parking lot observation a slur? Tell me, is it a slur to count four police cars parked at a donut shop? Or to notice the absence of pimped-out rides outside a Mormon Temple? Or would I be more correct to conclude that what qualifies as a slur in your book is wholly dependent upon who utters it?
Is it so difficult for you to accept that Galt’s comment (above) was nothing more than expression of his/her doubt that the public was getting its full bang-for-the-buck from the Water District?
As for your link to the Reid-Hillview post (that had you so upset), I followed it only to discover that you’ve been victimized by your own ignorance. The sarcastic comment was about personal responsibility and nothing else. If parents believe their children are in danger, then it is—according to those who hold people accountable for their own lives—up to those parents to remove their children from that danger (as opposed to, in the case of Reid-Hillview, pointing fingers at questionable scientific theories and the poor test scores of their kids). The giveaway as to the meaning of the post was the screen name used, John Galt—a reference to Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged,” a book that pays homage to men and women of a kind who have no personal need for government.
For the record, Eagle Eye, I post under one screen name only.
John, there are a lot of hard-working, talented people at the District, and the District has many big-ticket projects. That said, benefits for all local government employees have ballooned in the past decade or so, to the point where they are unsustainable.
Eagle Eye, I do not support any slurs or personal attacks.
#5- No slur, Eagle Eye, but it’s nice to know that the Thought Police are on the job.
Keep up the good work!
Diana—Do you have a campaign? Would like to make a contribution. How amazing to hear your take on the Water District. Absoutely correct. Doesn’t take much to deceive the taxpayers, and this secret taxing agency is really invisible, while gobbling millions. The great irony is that the taxpayers are also ratepayers. The District taxpayers pay for all the water importation and storage, and then get to pay retail for THEIR water—from San Jose Water Co. The SCVWD saves the SJWC millions in capital improvements necessary to get “their” water. Pretty sly. And you don’t mention that two of the positions on the District Water Board are appointed by county supervisors—NOT elected. Joe Judge, appointed by Zoe Lofgren in the ‘80’s has been on the District Board for about 30 years. I wonder why? I’d bet the benefits, and pay, are worth having. And who does he and the other guy represent?
George, thank you for your support. My campaign website is dianafoss.com.
Joe Judge was appointed to the board in 1986, but after Pat Ferraro retired in 1995, Joe Judge ran for the District 2 seat, which he currently holds. The two at-large members are Tony Estremera and Sig Sanchez. The District is currently seeking to revise the legislation that sets the Board terms and district boundaries. For more information, see the SCVWD website at valleywater.org and look at “District Act information.”
#16.Diana: You can’t be serious.
Most would agree that there is a substantial difference between day-to-day operations and the absolute need for a board member to be familiar with the main details of a 26 million dollar water district project.
The Lenihan Dam project was presented to the board, debated by the board and ultimately approved by the board. The board also has oversight responsibility.
I would hope that all candidates for the Water District board have a working knowledge of the District’s major projects. I look forward to hearing from those candidates and hope SJI will allow them equal space.
Lex,
Are you related to An Derson?
Lex, my apologies for any unintended levity. I agree that Board members must have a working knowledge of the vast projects for which they are ultimately responsible to the voters. This is knowledge that I am working hard to acquire.
Mr. Van Sandt was very gracious in responding to my request for a guest post here; I’m sure he would be as accommodating to any other candidate.
Finally, you are to be commended yourself for your own knowledge and commitment. We all benefit from it.
Diana—Classy to not take offense at Lex’s remarks. Must be a District Employee, but hiding behind anonymity, who knows. At any rate, he, or she, or it, has “Expert’s Disease”. Aren’t familiar with the blueprints for the latest attack on Lexington Dam? Darn! What about the reason for this ambitious project, other than make work, a long standing County tradition. In years past they drained the reservoir year after year to fix, fix, fix a collapsed drain pipe, put in a new valve, over and over again. Darn thing didn’t stay fixed. One smart project was floating a new feed pipe, then sinking it, recently, when they misssed yet another opportunity to drain the pond. The first six years after the dam was built it was so dry that Alma Bridge, on the bottom, was clearly visible. The long history of Lex’s Reservoir, and its reason for being, consists of mostly boondoggle. So let’s stop with the huffing and puffing and pulling rank on a smart candidate willing to take on this monster bureaucracy and be civil about it. You can bet the vested interests won’t be civil. George Green
#19: Nope. I’m also not related to Ky Yote or Al Maden. But thanks for asking.
#20: George: Sorry to disappoint you but I am not a H2O District employee. I work for a living.
I am, however, a person who takes the time to follow the issues and who expects the same of our candidates.
You may wish to to give Ms. Foss a pass but I will vote for the candidate who does the homework to gain a working knowledge of what’s going on in the water district that he/she hopes to represent.
We are not talking about minutia. This is a $26-million dollar project, and it has been well publicized.
George, thank you for your support.
Lex, I’ll reiterate that I wish that everyone were as well-informed and involved as you obviously are. I’ll leave you to decide whether you support the Board as it currently stands or think that it’s time for a change. But I assure you that I am not looking for a pass, rather that I’m working hard to get up to speed on the issues facing the District, and us all, regarding the future of our water supplies, our flood protection plans, and the stewardship of our watersheds.
Lex—The cost of the present monster project may be well publicized, but what it will accomplish is certainly of little or no interest to the Murky—the taxpayers, or the ratepayers. And it isn’t a big feature of your gripe about “knowing enough” to be a board member. Must have missed Sig Sanchez lecture on the importance of this capital project? George Green
#23. Well George, you can count me as one voter/taxpayer/ratepayer who wants our Water District Board to be up to speed on multi-million dollar projects such as this. I’m surprised that you find that unreasonable.
As for the Murky News, who cares? The Incredible Shrinking Newspaper is increasingly irrelevant.
Lex, what else do you think is important in a SCVWD Director? I imagine there is more to it than knowing the cost and scope of your namesake capital project. I’m running for this seat because I think the Board has lost touch with the voters who elect it. As a committed and informed voter, what are your other issues and concerns about the District? I would honestly like to talk with you about it, either in this comments forum, if you prefer, or more personally. You can contact me through my website dianafoss.com
Diane, If you are asking for my input I would suggest that you arm yourself with a working knowledge of all major district projects that involve the expenditure of significant amounts of money. This includes capital improvement projects such as the Lexington project, flood control, habitat protection and district staffing and water treatment issues. Nothing impresses voters more than a candidate who has obviously done her/his homework.
Beyond that you should take a good hard look at a corporate/board culture that allowed a board member to transition to staff without so much as a “see ya later.” I realize that this particular revolving door was shut after the fact but I can’t help but wonder if anyone in the water district’s board or management had a sense that this was an outrageously inappropriate action before the press got hold of it.
While your posts suggest that you understand the need to make the district more transparent that’s almost too easy given the events of the past year. You don’t want to be a one (easy) issue candidate.
My bottom line as a voter: I look for candidates who not only take on the big picture issues, but who also the nuts and bolts so that you can bring that expertise to the table. If you become that candidate you will probably get my vote.
Thanks for asking, and for your diplomatic responses to my pointed criticisms.
Hi Diana,
Can you tell us how much you will be paid for the job you seek?
Also can you tell us, who work in the private sector, what kind of benefits you will enjoy?
1) Vacation, sick time, 401K, Pension, annual cost of living allowance, per diem, car allowance, health care plan…
Hi Diana,
I attended the Willow Glen Forum and was pleased to meet you after wrting to you previously on SJI. I am very pleased to see both you and Judge bscking a move to bring the “Sunshine Laws” open government to the County Water District.I hope you leed the way to bring the process to other County departments. Thank you for attending the WG Forum.
I feel strongly about improvements in the water districts reclaiming and using recycled water, more can and should be done.
What do you believe is the major differance between your ideas and Mr Judge`s views for iomproving the Water District.I came away from the Forum thinking I would like to see both of you serve us on the Water District. The two of you seemed compatable with each other?