League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
	Santa Clara County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Candidates Answer Questions on the Issues Director; Santa Clara Valley Water District; Division 5

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.     See below for questions on Top Issues, Experience, Balancing Interests, Financial Situation Click on a name for candidate information.   See also more information about this contest. 1. What are three top issues facing the Water District and what are some of the solutions that you believe will address the problems? Answer from Nai Hsueh: Top issues: 1. Ensure voter confidence in District governance through ethical and transparent leadership 2. Ensure prudent management of District financial and other resources 3. Protect integrity of critical water infrastructure such as dams and flood channels while enhancing environmental resources such as wetlands and streams As a member of the Board, my solutions to address the problems are: 1. Walk the talk and exemplify ethical behavior 2. Work constructively with other board members to institute reforms of the Board 3. Focus on Water District mission by ensuring that public resources are used only for essential activities and programs. 4. Dedicate myself to performing the Board's job; i.e. a. Set policies and directions for the Water District. Under my leadership, I will put priority on integrity of infrastructure such as dams and levees; complete flood protection projects with previously secured funding; reduce trash and contaminants in our waterways; and advocate for stream stewardship activities. b. Serve as a bridge between the community and the Water District to inform, educate and seek input on water issues. c. Monitor the Water District's performance on behalf of the community, set high standards that will transform the Water District into an efficient, high-performing organization, and to ensure the public has full access to the information needed to evaluate Water District's performance. Answer from Patrick S. Kwok: The top three issues are seismic repair of dams and aging infrastructures, ensuring a safe, clean water supply and transparency and accountability with the board and employees. In order to address aging infrastructures I will work hard to ensure that projects are completed on schedule, on time, and within budget. In order to address a safe, clean water supply, I will continue to work with the State Legislature and also push for further water conservation efforts and the use of recycled water. In order to address transparency and accountability, I will continue to push for more audits, improve operational efficiences, hold management accountable for their work, and ensure the public is always informed via various communications efforts. 2. What experience and training do you have which would help the Water District meet its goals? Answer from Patrick S. Kwok: I have more than 45+ years in water resources management, 11 years of policy-making experience, and two masters in Public Administration and Civil/Environmental Engineering. I also served on more than 10 boards including League of California Cities, California Water Environment Association, Santa Clara County Recycling and Waste Reduction, Bay Area Quality Management and Association of California Water Agencies. Answer from Nai Hsueh: In addition to my formal training as an engineer, I have in-depth knowledge of Water District operations as a result of over 30 years of work as an engineer at the District. I began my career as a junior engineer, one of the first 3 women engineers at the District, and retired as the Chief of Capital Programs. Throughout my advancement I learned about every aspect of the District's operations, which makes me uniquely qualified to exercise leadership and oversight as a member of the Board of Directors. I have extensive experience managing and implementing large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the upgrades to Lexington Reservoir that took place in 2007-2009 after years of careful planning. This experience will help me provide leadership to the organization as critical projects such as seismic safety improvements to our dams are carried out. As the Chief of Capital Programs, and Acting Chief Administrative Officer, I developed extensive knowledge of the District's financial structure and resources. This knowledge and experience will enable me to actively oversee financial planning for the future and ensure prudent use of taxpayer and ratepayer funds. My work implementing water supply and flood control projects has given me insight into the complex web of dependencies and conflicts of California water issues. As the District moves forward to ensure the availability and integrity of future water supplies (for example, participating in the complex resolution of Bay-Delta water supply) my experience will guide me as a leader on the Board of Directors. Finally, including various interests, listening to them and bringing consensus among them are skills I learned while implementing capital projects. I have embraced the lesson of inclusion of diverse viewpoints throughout my career. These skills are valuable assets for Board members to have. 3. How will you balance your constituents' needs and interests with residential, agricultural and business needs of the entire county while safeguarding the environment? Answer from Patrick S. Kwok: As I have done during my first term, I will ensure that the board thoroughly evaluates the needs and issues of the different areas throughout the county. Everyone including businesses, residents and farmers, need water for sustainability. I will ensure that projects are equally distrubted and funds are budgeted equally. I will vote beased on my constituents needs ,not on politic Answer from Nai Hsueh: While I am seeking election by the voters of District 5, and will always keep the interests of District 5 in the forefront as a member of the Board, the reality is that Santa Clara County water resources and issues cannot be neatly divided by political boundaries. Water supply facilities and flood protection projects in one Board Member's District are important to residents and business in other Districts. Critical water supplies are obtained from outside the County and therefore are not limited to one Board Member's jurisdiction. Long-term protection of environmental resources is an issue of significance to the entire County. The history of the Santa Clara Valley Water District + based on the vision of the community leaders that created the District many years ago + is one of broadly integrating the needs of the entire County in implementing water supply, flood protection, and environmental programs. I would reference back to this historical perspective, which has been a foundation for the economic success of Santa Clara Valley. Although our issues have changed over the years, the key to future success of our Valley, and the health, safety, and prosperity of our residents, is to continue to lead with the big picture in mind. 4. What is your evaluation of the financial condition of the Water District and how would you ensure that maintenance of infrastructure remains a District priority? Answer from Nai Hsueh: Every governmental agency today faces a new reality: the financial resources needed to accomplish agency goals are limited. The District is no different. The taxpayers and the ratepayers we look to to fund our projects are constrained in their ability to provide new funding, and therefore are appropriately exercising heightened scrutiny of all existing and new government programs. My view is that the District, through careful forecasting and planning through the systems I helped develop as a managing engineer, is in a good position to demonstrate the value of its current and planned projects, and to carry them out in a fiscally prudent manner. This will require the continued confidence and support of the public, including through support of justified groundwater charges and special taxes. These funding sources will be necessary to maintain critical infrastructure, such as our dams. As a Board member, I would work to ensure community support of these programs, and the necessary funding, by ensuring that public resources are used only for essential activities and programs, and that the public has full access to the information needed to evaluate our performance. With limited financial resources, to ensure the priority of maintenance of infrastructure requires the Water District to put higher value on maintenance. The District's prioritization system for allocating capital resources, which I helped develop, accomplishes this exact objective. This prioritization system was implemented since 2005, and was recognized by the 2005-06 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury and the California Society of Financial Officers. In addition to the prioritization system, the Water District needs long-term Master Plans (infrastructure plans) for water supply, flood protection and stream stewardship. The Water District also needs to demonstrate high performance and prudent fiscal management in carrying out individual projects. Together this will clearly communicate to ratepayers and taxpayers about the future needs and engender confidence and support, including support for justified groundwater charges and special taxes, to implement the high priority maintenance projects. As a Board member, I would work to ensure community support of the priority system, and drive the Water District to develop Master Plans, monitor and improve the quality and costs of project implementation, and ensure the public has full access to the information needed to evaluate Water District performance. Answer from Patrick S. Kwok: During my first term, I worked hard to drastically cut the district's budget including an FY12 budget that was 30% less than FY09, minimized water rate increases with only 2 increases of about 9.5% in the past 5 years, and successfully negotiated labor contracts resulting in savings of $7.7 million over the next 3 years. I was also instrumental in reducing the director's expenditures from $2500 to $250. If elected I plan to continue improving operational efficiencies so that was can allocate more funds to captial projects that will protect residents from floods and other natural disasters. Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Please answer each question in no more than 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted. The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.