Candidate for
Member, Board of Directors; West Basin Municipal Water District; Division 4

OUR CURRENT DROUGHT IS PART OF AN ONGOING TREND OF INCREASING WATER SCARCITY.

This race is about the water + about how we as humans and society can survive in the LA basin.

Our freshwater supply is finite, our demands on resources are growing, and we have increasing extremes of weather brought forth by man-made climate change.

We need to create solutions for the coming 10 and 35 year droughts and the wet years. More dams won't solve this. Importing more water from farther places at even higher energy and ecological costs won't solve this. We need to work within our environment to make our solutions.

As a Board Member I will work to decrease our dependence on imported water from the Colorado Aqueduct and the State Water Project. I will work towards increasing our conservation efforts. I will increase our recycling efforts and expand recycling to potable reuse, and work with joint agencies to safely recharge our aquifers and make use of replenishable groundwater in the Santa Monica Basin.

I have over 34 years experience in environmental, sustainability and conservation issues. As a community leader and local business owner I have worked with individuals on the ground to increase the efficient use of our valuable natural resources. I am familiar with Water Policy and how it can be successfully implemented. I want to provide West Basin with a vision that is beyond the current Water Reliability 2020 initiative. I want to reduce our imported water to 30%.

These are my Key Priorities:

-Diversifying our water supply to include Indirect potable reuse (IPR) to offset 10% of our water demand.
-Invest in local replenishable groundwater supplies in West Basin and Santa Monica Basins.
-Advocate and work with local agencies to mandate sensible landscaping choices appropriate to our climate.
-Target system-wide usage of 50 gallons per person per day.
-Institute a door-to-door, meter-to-meter and person-to-person approach to reaching our conservation and efficiency goals.

With the board we need to increase transparency and citizen access and participation. I am proposing:
- Broadcast and schedule nighttime meetings to allow the public to participate.
- Instigate a maximum 3 term limit.
- Constrain the Board-only pension system.

We can become sustainable. We have to change our perspective.

Please contact me directly with any questions. I would be honored to serve as your representative on the West Basin Water Board.

This November put water first and start at the bottom of the ballot.

I'm Stephen Murray and I'd be honored to work for you on the West Basin Water Board.