Issues 

 

Control Water Rates

I will fight to keep our water rates down. SDGE has let its rates get out of control. I will not let that happen at OMWD. I will maintain constant vigilance over OMWD’s internal costs and oppose wasteful and unnecessary spending. I will challenge our water wholesalers, demanding fiscal control so unreasonable cost increases are not passed on to us!

Oppose Unreasonable Water Use Mandates

I will oppose unreasonable statewide water use mandates. The western United States is in a severe drought. Fortunately, San Diego County is better positioned than most places to withstand water shortages because of your water conservation efforts, recycling, water reuse, and local desalination. I will oppose water use mandates from Sacramento that do not consider our available supply.

Promote Conservation and Drought Education

We need to conserve water and provide incentives such as rebates and credits for your water conservation efforts. I introduced a well-attended online Native Plant Virtual Workshop, which provided a wealth of information about native plants and how to reduce your garden water use. I supported a succulent plant giveaway with OMWD staff at the Encinitas Home Depot to encourage drought-resistant planting.

       Encourage Access to OMWD’s AquaHawk ™ Portal.

With AquaHawk, you can view and monitor your water consumption. Through my role on the OMWD conservation committee, I have pressed to initiate an aggressive customer rollout of the system available to most customers. By careful use monitoring, you could reduce your water usage by about 15 percent!

Explore Alternative Sources of Water Supply

We do not receive enough rain in San Diego County to meet our local needs. To reduce our reliance on others, OMWD is exploring the feasibility of locally sourced groundwater from the San Dieguito Valley. The Board will soon make important decisions about whether to go forward with this project. You can learn more about it at https://www.olivenhain.com/your-water-supplies/san-elijosan-dieguito-valley-groundwater-project/.

Increase District Transparency

OMWD needs to encourage more citizen participation. We need more input from you! I will encourage and seek greater citizen participation and transparency, including posting meeting videos on our website and reviewing OMWD’s transparency policies for further improvement.