CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. (MPG) – The Citrus Heights Water District (CHWD) and Fair Oaks Water District (FOWD) have submitted a letter objecting to the San Juan Water District’s (SJWD) plan for transitioning from “at large” to “by district” elections.  Styled as a plan to respect the “urban-rural” divide within SJWD; a cursory review of the proposed map shows no rational basis for its boundaries other than protecting incumbents to the extent possible.  4 of these 5 incumbents live in Granite Bay, and Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks and other communities have been historically underrepresented on the SJWD Board.

The joint letter to SJWD, signed by CHWD President Ray Riehle and FOWD President Gary Page, urges SJWD to abandon its current map and consider a map that considers existing county, city and neighborhood boundaries.  For context, the letter includes two overlays on the proposed map.  The first overlay compares the proposed map to existing county, city, and neighborhood boundaries.  It is obvious that the proposed map follows no existing community lines and seems to intentionally disregard existing boundaries.  This unnecessarily separates existing communities that form natural district boundaries.

The second overlay provides some potential justification for the proposed map.  It adds the location of existing incumbents and shows that the maps are drawn to separate incumbents from each other to the extent possible.  While SJWD has indicated that its map is based on respecting the “urban-rural” divide, SJWD fails to use population density or some other appropriate metric.

CHWD and FOWD recommend that SJWD abandon the current, flawed map, which protects Granite Bay’s existing supermajority on the Board, and follow existing law(s) regarding the preparation of revised voting district maps in compliance with state and federal requirements.

CHWD and FOWD encourage all of their customers to follow the SJWD’s Board representation transition process closely and voice their concerns, including attending an important public hearing on Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 6:00 pm accessible through https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/663838652507163406.