Born in Ventura in 1943, James W. Coultas grew up on a 135-acre citrus ranch owned by his family and attended local Ojai schools. He attended Ventura College and the University of Nevada, Reno, and graduated from the University of Southern California with a BS in accounting. He served three years in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of 1st Lieutenant. He returned to Ojai after the devastating 1969 floods severely damaged the family ranch and later took over the ranch operations. In 1981, Coultas was appointed to the Casitas Municipal Water District to finish the term of his father, James A. Coultas, after he passed away. Since then, he has served five terms on the board of directors and played a key role in hundreds of issues from hosting the 1984 Olympics at Lake Casitas to the nearly completed fish ladder on the Ventura River. He is currently involved in working toward the hoped-for decommissioning of the Matilija Dam. His experience in water issues extends beyond his time on the Casitas board. He currently serves on the board of directors of Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), a group of about 450 water agencies from across the state. He is currently chair of the ACWA Region 8, which includes Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Coultas also served as a director on the Ojai Basin Groundwater Management Agency and the Ojai Water Conservation District Board. He was the first recipient of the Dave Adamson award from the Chamber of Commerce and received the Medal of Valor from the Ventura County Peace Officers' Assn. for saving the life during the flood of 1986.
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