Our View: OID could use a few new faces
Voters in three Oakdale Irrigation District divisions face a hugely important, but relatively simple, decision: Are they satisfied with how the district has been managed over the past few years.
Satisfied? Vote for an incumbent.
Dissatisfied? Vote for a challenger.
Three members of the OID board of directors are running for re-election. If all three win, it will be business as usual. If all three are replaced, the board will have a majority of new members, with the power – assuming they agree on issues – to force substantial change in district priorities, policies and operations.
District farmers pay the lowest irrigation rates in the state; many appreciate that and will vote for an incumbent. But homeowners in some rural areas are angry with failing wells and falling water tables. Many will vote for a challenger.
A vote for an incumbent is also a vote of confidence in district general manager Steve Knell and his policies – including water sales outside the region and increased groundwater pumping during the drought. In Knell’s defense, he is a ferocious defender of the district’s Stanislaus River water rights and he has helped rebuild the district’s delivery infrastructure.
But if you live in the city of Oakdale – getting no irrigation water and only indirect benefits from the millions OID makes selling power – your decision is complicated.
We think the board would be well-served by at least two new directors. Then, perhaps, the board would be less likely to turn deaf ears to pleas to halt pumping groundwater as dozens of nearby residential wells are going dry.
Perhaps then the district would take more care in following its own policies for annexing large almond farms.
Perhaps then the district would get more realistic about what it charges for water. The district has always used its profits from electricity generation to offset irrigation water costs, even providing it virtually free on occasion.
With new faces, OID might prioritize water transfers to districts within the region, where that water benefits neighbors and the local economy.
With new faces, wildly disparate voter population differences in divisions might be remedied more quickly. Current board members say realigning divisions slipped their minds. As a result, farmers dominate four of the five divisions while most of Oakdale’s urban voters are locked into a single, much larger division with only one director to represent their interests.
Unquestionably, OID’s water transfers have allowed the district to create budget reserves and pay for critical improvements in canals and equipment. We applauded that strategy when Knell developed it nearly a decade ago and still believe in it. We also believe OID should expand by careful annexation, without restrictions, of additional ag land.
But we don’t approve of policies that make water essentially free to farmers while providing no similar benefits to non-farming residents. The district belongs to all who live in it; its benefits should not adhere only to a few. These are symptoms of a district that too narrowly defines itself and who it serves. Perhaps new faces will change that.
At look at the races
Division 1: Frank Clark is one of the most well-respected men in Oakdale. At times, he has been the only board member to question policies and recommendations, but his voice has not been raised loudly enough to effect change. Gail Altieri, a retired school teacher, is smart, engaged and becoming better informed. She didn’t care much about OID until increased pumping and drought caused a drop in the water table near her home. Normally, we do not recommend displacing engaged, knowledgeable, elected officials with newcomers. This is not a normal situation. Altieri will bring change.
Division 4: Al Bairos Jr. is a sincere, smart farmer whose priority is ensuring farmers remain foremost in OID’s deliberations. That’s OK, as long as farmers are not his only priority. Linda Santos became engaged when large almond farms began to develop near her ranch. She is concerned about the impact of hillsides being ripped for almonds. She and Altieri are not a slate, but they are driven by the same concerns. Santos will bring change.
Division 5: Farmer Gary Osmundson was appointed to fill the seat of the ailing Jack Alpers in April. Osmundson is straightforward about his priorities – he wants the lowest water prices possible. He also admits to building a new home in Division 4, saying when it’s finished he’ll move. It appears he would have to vacate the seat he’s running for. We know almost nothing about challenger Daniel Medina and cannot recommend voting for him. Regardless of the election’s outcome, Division 5 will likely have new representation sooner or later. If Bairos and Clark are re-elected, the board will appoint a like-minded replacement. If Santos and Altieri win, they’ll have to negotiate with the two board members not up for election – Herman Doornenbal and Steve Webb – to find a replacement. Such negotiations might provide a good foundation for reshaping the district’s priorities.
This story was originally published September 26, 2015 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Our View: OID could use a few new faces."