Board of Directors
Monterey Peninsula Water Management District
P.O. Box 85
Monterey, CA 93942
Subject: Senate Bill 149
Dear Board Members:
The League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula was a signatory to the arguments against the dissolution of the MPWMD as proposed in Measure B. It is also on recorded in opposition to Senate Bill 149.
Replacement of the directly elected District Board with elected officials representing political jurisdictions is inadvisable based on the following considerations:
The MPWMD was formed as a special district to remove the issues regarding water management and allocation from competing political interests.
Its mandate ensured that priority be given to the preservation of the integrity of the Carmel River as our primary water resource and that augmentation of the water supply would be enhanced through reclamation and conservation measures to protect the quality of life of the Monterey Peninsula.
The District's inability to advance a new water project is not for a lack of trying. Historical competing interests have led to the defeat of two projects brought to a public vote. Taking the vote away from the people is hardly the answer to resolving our water problem. In a democracy, the principle of no taxation without representation still applies. It is part of the original enabling legislation and should not be changed to accommodate political and corporate preferences.
We recommend that the Board select a project through a transparent process that will ensure public participation and approval and that it oppose reintroduction of SB149.
Sincerely yours,
Beverly G. Bean, VMD
President
