Gilroy’s City Council voted unanimously Monday to have the City
Attorney initiate legal action against the Santa Clara Valley Water
District in the wake of the district’s decision to split Gilroy and
Morgan Hill on an electoral map.
Gilroy’s City Council voted unanimously Monday to have the City Attorney initiate legal action against the Santa Clara Valley Water District in the wake of the district’s decision to split Gilroy and Morgan Hill on an electoral map.
“We need to make sure that our interests are heard and represented,” Mayor Al Pinheiro said Tuesday.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District is the largest water resources manager in Santa Clara County. It sells water to the county’s various cities and offers flood protection services throughout the county
The water district’s new map, approved 5-1 Thursday by the water district’s board, divides Morgan Hill and San Martin into District 1, while Gilroy is linked to Palo Alto and Mountain View in District 7.
Pinheiro and Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate initially sought to have two districts in the South County as a way to increase the region’s influence on the board. However, the new split diminishes South County’s influence. Morgan Hill and San Martin now account for about 15 percent of District 1’s population, and Gilroy accounts for less than 20 percent of the population in District 7.
The move is counter to a nearly seven-month long redistricting process that yielded three maps, which were all ultimately rejected.
The split could have devastating consequences for South County, Councilman Craig Gartman said.
“There is a possibility, and maybe a good one, that we may not have a seat on the water district,” he said. “Essentially, we could be 100 percent shut out.”
The nature of the water board’s vote, which came at the last minute, appears questionable from a legal standpoint, he said.
“It smells funny,” he said.
Gartman, who serves on the district’s water commission, has said in the past that North County representatives have sought to have South County residents pay the same water rates that they do.
South County residents pay $275 per acre foot of municipal and industrial use and $16.50 per acre foot of agricultural use. One acre foot can provide water for a family of five for two years. North County residents pay $520 per acre foot of municipal and industrial use.
As a result of the redistricting, there is a threat that rates could increase in South County, Pinheiro said.
The mayor stressed that the South County region is an agricultural area. Whoever represents the region should be sensitive to those needs, he said. The cities of Gilroy and Morgan Hill have much in common, he said. Both share oversight of the joint South County Regional WasteWater Authority, and the councils in both cities have a good working relationship, he said.
Morgan Hill’s City Council also will decide whether to pursue litigation against the district when it meets Wednesday.
