In my tenure on the Board of Directors I have been instrumental in reducing property tax rates, keeping the cost of imported water the lowest in the San Gabriel Valley, providing grants and zero interest loans to Monterey Park for the construction of wellhead treatment facilities, supported conservation effort that saved over 173 million gallons of water since the program began, and developed a public outreach program that is second to none.
I have been on the Board since 1989 representing Division 3 which is most of Monterey Park. As the Board President, the Board and I have accomplished at lot but there is always more to do. Here are some of the District achievements under my leadership:
- REDUCED the residents' District property TAX RATE by 40% These actions have cut the residents' property tax bill by that same 40%. And this was NOT at the expense of raising water rates or reducing reserves to unsafe low levels. I fully intend to keep the rate stable or reduce it.
- During my tenure on the Board, we have held our water rate to $130 per acre-ft -- the SAME TODAY AS IT WAS IN THE EARLY 90's. This is the lowest cost for imported water in the San Gabriel Valley. Other agencies are charging over $500 per acre-ft for the same water, if it is even available. The City of Monterey Park imports about 3800 acre-ft each year on the average. (An acre-ft will supply about 2 to 3 families with water for a year.) The cost savings to the City currently is $1.4 million; a tidy sum of money these days when cities are scrambling for every dime. We have no intention of raising our rates any time soon.
- As President, I supported the District providing over $120,000 in grants to the City of Monterey Park for pilot water conservation projects including automatic meter reading systems, smart irrigation controllers and low water using demonstration gardens and medians.
- At my recommendation and with the support of the Board, the District provided $1,7 million dollars in grants and $3.8 million dollars in zero and low interest loans to the City of Monterey Park to construct wellhead water treatment Systems to keep their wells operating and remove VOCs and perchlorate contaminants from the San Gabriel Basin, saving the City enormous amounts of money in these hard times and keeps the residents' water rates low.
- When I started on the Board there were 8 full time employees. We have reduced staff to 6 full time and no part time employees. We operate very efficiently as witnessed by our low water and tax rates. The San Gabriel Valley MWD is the envy of the other water districts in Southern California.
- To save money we have reduced from 2 Board of Director meetings per month to just one. We can easily accomplish our business in that meeting. This cuts director compensation costs almost in half.
- I supported a study to identify a second hydroelectric power generating station on our State Water Project pipeline. We already have a 1 megawatt station generating "green power" which is sold to the City of Azusa. Yes, our hydroelectric power is truly "green" power since it replaces a pressure regulating valve on our pipeline. We generate electricity rather than dissipate excess pressure with turbulence.
- We have had an Ultra Low Flow, high efficiency toilet give away program that I have supported for the last 13 years. We gave out almost 6000 toilets in Monterey Park alone resulting in the saving of over 137 million gallons of water and $300,000 in residential water purchase cost over that time period. We use Mark Keppel high school students to help us with the program. They earned over $86,000 for their school programs over the 13-year period and have a community service project for their college resume. Through water conservation we reduce our impact on the Delta and SAVES ENERGY AND REDUCES OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. Every acre-ft we save reduces crude oil consumption by 5 barrels and reduces carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) emissions.
The District is in SOUND FINANCIAL CONDITION; we have ample dedicated reserves for emergencies and operation. As the loans to the cities are repaid, we will have more money available for future loan projects.
We are at a cross-roads in our water supply; increasing population, court decisions on Delta Water exports, and climate change affect our water supply reliability. I want to continue to use my experience to serve the residents of Monterey Park and guide our District in this complex matter by continuing existing programs and developing others as needed. That is why I am seeking re-election.
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