Candidate for
Board Member; Irvine Ranch Water District

Water is essential to all forms of life. The many roles water performs in the natural world deserve our respect and protection. A clean, safe supply of drinking water is of paramount concern to every Californian.

As you all know, Southern California has a semi-desert climate. While more than 70 percent of the water is generated north of Sacramento, about 80 percent of California's population is concentrated in the South. Southern California's thirst for water made us foe with farmers in the North, destroyed millions of acres of wetlands, deprived Mexican farmers of their fair share of water from the Colorado River.

I believe that access to clean, safe and affordable water is a matter of human right and we should never let private entities turn water, one of our most precious natural resources, into a money-making commodity.

You want a person on the Board who, by training and experience, is qualified to make informed decisions regarding water management for the community. As a member of the Board of Directors, I will take decisive actions to support and enhance our award-winning water programs. I also propose the following:

• Make water conservation part of our daily life through education.
• Encourage new constructions using water saving appliances and fixtures, and promote retrofitting of older buildings.
• Promote native landscaping and the use of drought resistant plants to reduce the need for irrigation. Where irrigation is necessary, promote drip irrigation systems.
• Promote separation techniques such as dual piping systems for reclaiming the "gray" and "black" waters.
• Continue to advance the District's leadership in the technology and use of reclaimed water to irrigate parks, street medians and greenbelts.
• Support Orange County Water District's Groundwater Replenishment System which will provide a new source of safe and clean water to Orange County residents.