Getting Involved with Your Local Water Board Elections
Local water boards, including Community Services Districts (CSDs), Public Utilities Districts (PUDs), and nonprofit Mutual water companies, as well as small cities, are responsible for implementing the Human Right to Water in many rural communities.
We just released a new report: "Untapped Opportunity: Local Water Boards and the Fight for Water Justice." The report found that in the southern San Joaquin Valley, 87% of local water board seats were uncontested in the most recent election -- that’s almost 500 local seats. When only one candidate runs for a seat, the seat does not appear on a ballot, and the election does not take place. In Fresno, Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties, 75 of 109 local water boards studied have not held a single election in the last four years.
This gap of local leadership is partly due to the complicated and fragmented nature of water governance in CA and the lack of support and resources for interested leaders to step into decision-making roles themselves. In order to address this gap, the Community Water Center has compiled resources for community leaders to learn more about local water boards and to take the next step to run in their water board election. How to use these resources to run for a local water board seat:
Step 1: Check out the CWC factsheets and resources to learn more about local water boards
Step 2: Contact your county elections office to confirm you are eligible to run in your local water board district
Step 3: Take direct action to improve your community by filing to be a candidate in your local water board election
Step 4: Once you are a local water board member, apply to join the Community Water Leaders Network to receive ongoing support!
Submit paperwork to file for candidacy within this window:
LOCAL WATER BOARD ELECTION FACT SHEETS AND RESOURCES
- Getting Involved in Your Local Water Board: An Overview
- Getting Involved in Your Local Water Board: How to Run in an Election
- Chart of Elections Requirements by District Type
- CWC Guide to Community Drinking Water Advocacy-- Excerpt of Legal Requirements for Specific Types of Water Providers
INFORMACIÓN SOBRE CÓMO POSTULARSE EN LA MESA DIRECTIVA DEL AGUA, CÓMO FUNCIONA Y LA IMPORTANCIA EN PARTICIPAR
- Un resumen sobre cómo involucrarse en su mesa local del agua y cómo funciona
- Un resumen sobre cómo ser parte de la mesa directiva del agua
COUNTY ELECTIONS RESOURCES
WHEN WILL MY COMMUNITY HAVE LOCAL WATER BOARD ELECTIONS?
See seats up for election by county.
COMMUNITY WATER LEADERS NETWORK
In order to provide ongoing support to elected officials in order to ensure they are successful once on boards, CWC established the Community Water Leaders Network. The Community Water Leaders Network is a leadership cohort that unites local board members to increase access to safe, clean and affordable drinking water in the San Joaquin Valley through information sharing and capacity building. To learn more about the Community Water Leaders Network, and to apply to join the network, follow this link.