In the new governing scheme laid out for the Santa Clara Valley
Water District
– seven elected board members – South County should have its own
representative.
In the new governing scheme laid out for the Santa Clara Valley Water District – seven elected board members – South County should have its own representative.
Unfortunately, as the water district prepares to draw boundary lines, that’s likely going to be an uphill battle, one that our current representative, Rosemary Kamei, is unlikely and perhaps unwilling to make.
As a water district board member, Kamei should be vociferously making the case for a South County representative on the new configuration for the water board. She withdrew Thursday from the race for Santa Clara County Supervisor, but has thrown her support behind San Jose City Councilmember Forrest Williams. She should convince him to support a standalone South County district.
Under a new state law, designed to reform the water district’s unsavory past practices, seven districts will be drawn, each with an elected representative.
The arguments for a separate South County district are numerous, mostly obvious and certainly compelling:
-South County has its own aquifer, separate from North County. The line of water flow demarcation is, approximately, Cochrane Road in Morgan Hill.
-There are still viable and economically important agricultural operations in South County.
-Most of the region’s reservoirs are here.
n Geographically and politically, South County stands apart from North County.
The new law governing the water district elections says that districts, as far as possible, should be equal in population, yet it also gives the board the opportunity to consider other factors in drawing up the boundaries.
The other factors noted above should far outweigh any population consideration. Certainly Kamei should be interpreting the language in such a manner and fighting for this area. Unfortunately, that’s not currently the case.
Hopefully, organizations like the Gilroy and Morgan Hill City Councils, the Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau will put maximum pressure on Kamei and the water district board.
When South County voters narrowly approved merging the Gavilan Water District with the SCVWD in the late 1980s, continued representation was assured. If the new districts are drawn strictly on population – which by definition relegates South County to the back of the bus – that promise will have been broken and the area’s influence over crucial water policies and costs will have nearly evaporated.
South County deserves representation with regards to a crucial resource. It’s time for every official to demand just that. The water district should do the right thing and draw fair boundaries that are inclusive and respectful of this area’s unique needs.
