Candidate for
Director; Western Municipal Water District; Division 2

Historical Biography for John M. Mylne, III

Detailed Biographical Data John M. Mylne, III is a Fourth generation Water Person. Mylne's Father was born in Riverside and became the General Manager and Chief Engineer of the Gage Canal Co. (succeeding both `his' father and `his' grandfather). The Gage Canal named after Mylne's great Uncle Mathew Gage was built in the 1880's to bring water to the developing citrus farms in Riverside from the Bunker Hill Basin which is located in the Santa Anna River in the area of Colton/ San Bernardino. Mylne as a child would frequently join his father and grandfather for drives along the Canal; and periodically was asked to clean out mud from the irrigation lines. These were his first, but perhaps not his fondest, memories of the business of water. Ensuring quality, clean and affordable water has been a priority of the Mylne family for four generations. Mylne has taken on water and its infrastructure as a major challenge in his life. Indeed Mylne grew up in a `water family' with his Great Grandfather having been Chief Engineer and Principal Surveyor of the Gage Canal which has brought water to Riverside from the San Bernardino Bunker Hill Basin since the 1880's. His Grandfather and Father were both successive Chief engineers and Managers of the Gage Canal Company and His father helped form the Western Municipal Water District in 1954 and was president of Western's Board for twenty-five years from inception until retiring in 1979. Upon the occasion his father's retirement announcement Mylne made the commitment to run for Western's Board. He won his election to the Board and served in that position for the next sixteen years. Mylne attended local Riverside schools through high school. These included Palm Elementary, Central Jr. High school, and Poly High School. Mylne attended Kenyon College in Ohio for two years. He then volunteered for Military service with the United States Marine Corps for three years during the Korean Conflict. After being Honorably Discharged from the Marines, Mylne applied for and was accepted as a student at Stanford University where he studied Engineering and graduated with a bachelor of Science degree in Engineering. Mylne was interested in Engineering management and decided to continue his education in the field of business. He applied to the Stanford Business School , was accepted, completed the two-year course of study and graduated with a Masters in Business Administration(MBA). Mylne has served as Director of Engineering, as well as Director of Engineering Technology for The Toro Co. a major Irrigation Equipment manufacturer. In both positions Mylne was responsible for management and development of multiple products which have contributed to water conservation. Mylne has served as Manager of Fluid Systems branch of a Major Aerospace Testing laboratory (Wyle Labs) and was responsible for managing flow/performance testing (using water, and other liquids) of industrial, marine, and aerospace valves and associated products. Mylne is honored to have served as past president of the World Affairs Council of Inland Southern California, former president of the Riverside Arts Foundation, a past member of the UCR Chancellor's Advisory Council for the School of Engineering, and is currently serving as a member of the UCR Chancellor's Advisory Council for the School of Agriculture. Mylne is also a dedicated member of the Kiwanis Club of Riverside. Mylne and his wife of 44 years B. J. are proud to have raised their three children (Bonnie, Victoria, and John) in the City of Riverside and Riverside County. Mylne is interested in the bigger water picture which includes both the infrastructure and the policies necessary to assure reliable import of supplemental water to Southern California and in 1993 was appointed by Western as its representative to serve on the Board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Metropolitan is the water agency responsible for the importation of almost all of the supplemental water used by its 27 member agencies who in turn deliver it to the 16 million people living in Southern California from Ventura to the Mexican border. Mylne has been actively involved with the MWD Board and has served on many committees including both the Engineering/Operations and the Budget and Finance Committees.

Water quality and water reliability are critical to life in Southern California for people, for agriculture, and for business. Water does not just automatically flow from the tap, taste good, and be safe to drink, and affordable. Rather it requires significant long range planning and commitment to design and construction of infrastructure for moving the water from distant locations (Colorado River and the Sacramento/San Joaquin-San Francisco Bay Delta ) into Southern California for storage in reservoirs and purification in treatment plants. MWD Member Agencies (e.g. Western Municipal Water District) and in turn retail agencies distribute the water to the ultimate consumer's Tap. Mylne is committed to this planning process which must result in a reliable and high quality water supply for today and for future generations at the minimum possible cost to the tax payers and water rate payers. Mylne to this day continues to fight to ensure clean, affordable and reliable water and is dedicated to representing families, business, schools, and farms. He possesses the leadership, knowledge, and experience to ensure water infrastructure now and for the future.