Local Article in the Foothill Sentry
Among the many things we take for granted, our water supply ranks high among them. How often have you stopped to consider that in this climate we call home, the population far outstrips the water that can be provided naturally, and but for the ingenuity, foresight, investment, and proper management by a select group of individuals, life here would be impossible as we know it. John Sears is one such individual, and he is asking for your support as Director of the East Orange County Water District (EOCWD)
All our days begin with the turn of a handle; and the cold, clean, safe water that it produces, as if by magic – but it’s the ingeniousness of mankind, and the proper management and stewardship of this scarce resource that allows this miracle of mornings to daily occur.
The EOCWD has proven time and again to be that miracle, consistently and efficiently providing that precious resource that we take for granted, precisely because it comes to us effortlessly. We don’t think of it, because we don’t have to.
As a nine-year member of the EOCWD board of directors, our neighbor John Sears has proven his stalwart stewardship and effective management of this precious resource time and again. John’s involvement as a respected water advocate working for our community on water issues and local control dates back more than fifteen years.
As the Director of the Foothill Communities Association, John chaired the Water Issues Committee, campaigning for lower water rates and better local governance for all of us. Due to his experience and long-term dedication, John was appointed to the EOCWD board of directors in 2016 and re-elected in 2020.
John spoke for us before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) numerous times in an effort to reduce water rates for parts of Tustin, Orange, North Tustin and Santa Ana. John spoke for us again before the Local Agency Formation Commission of Orange County (LAFFCO) in a hard-fought decision in favor of EOCWD ratepayers. That decision resulted in the district acquiring the area-wide sewer operation that not only provided dependable sewer service for our communities but resulted in a 50% reduction in sewer rates for five years, a rate that is still below the original OC Sanitation District rate.
John is, and always has been, an advocate for Orange County’s water independence and continues to stress the importance of protecting our groundwater basin system, committing himself to maintaining a water supply that is safe, dependable, and affordable for our residents and businesses all while maintaining balanced budgets, transparency, environmental accountability, and local control.
Local control. This is a critical element in EOCWD’s success. Our precious resource is managed locally, by many we know as friends and neighbors, just like John. With distance comes the fog of bureaucracy, inefficiency, and competing priorities – and with that distance, we will not always be the priority – unless we maintain local control with John Sears.
As a member of the board of directors for the EOCWD, John has supported the lowest rates possible by maintaining one usage tier, only charging ratepayers the cost of delivering their water, ensuring the financial stability of the district now and into the foreseeable future, securing a single low-interest loan for the sole purpose of establishing a credit rating, wisely maintaining existing maintenance equipment while also securing a new fleet of water and sewer maintenance vehicles, the completion of the new VanderWerff well that is now pumping groundwater for Orange County residents instead of relying on the Colorado River, as well as a new PFAS Treatment Plant.
John Sears has the respect and endorsement of Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner, former Tustin Mayor John Nielsen, EOCWD President and former Tustin Mayor Doug Davert, John Wayne Airport Commissioner Bruce Junor, former CA State Senator John Lewis, Foothill Communities Association President Richard Nelson and former EOCWD President, now President Emeritus Bill VanderWerff.
While we may take our water supply for granted, and do not often think of it, we cannot afford to take for granted who will manage it in the future. By maintaining local control with John Sears, and continuing a long-standing tradition of effective management and stewardship of our water supply, we can continue not thinking about it for many years to come.
Please support John Sears as Director of the EOCWD to continue his decades of ratepayer advocacy, dedication, sound management, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and local governance for our continued clean, safe, reliable drinking water.