San Diego, CA
The Truth About the Cost of Water: Dismantling the Water Authority Would Harm All San Diegans
This commentary was submitted by Madaffer and nine other former chairs of the San Diego County Water Authority Board of Directors.
Joni Mitchell may have said it best: “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”
In the case of water, those lyrics couldn’t be more true.
As former San Diego County Water Authority Board Chairs, we heard and responded to demands from the region’s working families, civic and business leaders in the 1990s when our only major water source dried up.
Collectively, with our member agencies, we then spent three decades relentlessly securing new water supplies and investing in multi-billion-dollar upgrades that will last for generations. We remained steadfast in making the necessary and difficult decisions to support the entire San Diego region.
Addressing the San Diego region’s water cost challenges requires honest, fact-based conversations and meaningful actions. Unfortunately, some recent public comments fall far short of this standard.
We all want safe and reliable water at the lowest possible cost. The water we enjoy in San Diego County comes at a higher cost – but having no water at all or having no regional decision-making body looking out for San Diegans is even more costly. That approach would truly be turning the clock back decades and jeopardizing our economy and quality of life.
San Diego gets less annual rain than Tucson, Arizona. Yet, today, our region enjoys independent, locally controlled, safe and reliable water supplies despite having few natural water supplies. That means it’s easy to forget what a drought is like because over the past two decades, our economy, businesses, families and way of life have been uninterrupted by water shortages.
Because of investments, the Water Authority has executed this strategy with the lowest possible cost in mind. But in recent years, we have seen to slower than expected population growth in San Diego. That plus a successful water conservation program added to our financial pressures.
We may have abundance now, but we must never lose sight of potential water shortages which will continue to cycle through our region, exacerbated by a changing climate.
For more than 80 years, the San Diego region has worked through their differences at the Water Authority to make sure high-quality water always comes out of our faucets even during California’s famously severe droughts.
Today, we must come together again without sacrificing San Diego County’s water security or hurting hardworking residents and businesses. We all deserve the truth about water rates and how the Water Authority delivers water to all of us. In the spirit of restarting the dialogue, we want to address some fact-based responses to a few of the recent false or misleading statements.
Claim 1: “It is no longer acceptable for the residents and businesses of the City to carry the burden of ever-increasing water costs imposed by the (the Water Authority),”from San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera’s letter to the general manager of the Water Authority April 22.
FACT: This is not true. The Water Authority charges the city of San Diego, its largest customer, the same as everyone else. Today, we are all paying for exactly what the city and other regional leaders demanded decades ago: to never again experience the crippling impacts of drought.
Claim 2: “The Water Authority has ignored calls for more realistic (water sales) projections, streamlined operations, and smarter debt management,” from the Elo-Rivera letter.
FACT: This also is not true. Water sales projections are provided directly to the Water Authority by the city of San Diego and other member agencies. The largest variations in sales are typically the result of a disconnect between what the city of San Diego predicts and what actually happens – variations that have a disruptive effect on every other agency in the region because they impact collective regional water rate calculations. As for debt management and streamlining, an array of prudent financial strategies at the Water Authority have produced $500 million in rate savings in recent years.
Claim 3: “(E)very structural and institutional option must be on the table,” from the Elo-Rivera letter.
FACT: This echoes a small number of insiders and appears to be a call to dissolve an agency that has served the entire San Diego region successfully for more than 80 years. Dissolution of the Water Authority would simply shift the costs from the Water Authority to local agencies like the city of San Diego, which is already facing its own fiscal challenges. Dismantling the Water Authority would harm and disenfranchise all San Diegans and create enormous operational and financial risks that would only drive rates higher for the region’s 3.3 million residents who are in need of the water the Water Authority provides.
Claim 4: “For too long, the SDCWA has operated at arm’s length from the public, from the City’s customers…,” from the Elo-Rivera letter.
FACT: Again, we respectfully disagree. The strategy that has delivered water security to the region over the past 30 years was a direct response to the region’s residents, civic and business leaders demanding that the Water Authority provide greater water resilience to protect our economy and quality of life. At every step, the city of San Diego has been leading or supporting the investments which has more than 40 percent of the vote on the Water Authority Board of Directors. In any case, the Water Authority remains committed to operating in the most transparent manner to ensure the public has the most up-to-date information on our region’s water supplies, cost of service and rates.
Claim 5: “The increased operating cost is a result of the increasing costs to purchase water from SDCWA…,” wrote Matt Vespi, the city’s chief financial officer, in a letter to the Water Authority April 18.
FACT: This is partially true but omits important facts. Water Authority rates have been rising along with everything else over the past decade due to a variety of factors outside of the control of the Water Authority. That said, the agency has worked to reduce rates in a variety of ways from creating a rate stabilization fund, managing and offloading supplies, resolving litigation and reducing operational expenses. As the city of San Diego completes Phase 1 of a recycled water plant, it too will experience increased operating costs.
Although the city’s Public Utility Department has not yet disclosed the anticipated financial impact to its ratepayers this year, it’s likely well above the cost of Water Authority supplies. If so, one would assume city residents will see increases in their water and wastewater bills. The bottom line is water security unfortunately comes at a higher cost than any of us would like, which is why it is imperative for the region to continue to work collaboratively.
Claim 6: “If we have water that is not being used by our member agencies, then we should sell it and use that revenue to ease the burden for working San Diegans ,” from the Elo-Rivera letter.
FACT: This is true in part but avoids the reality that our region may very well need more water in the future so our planning must also encompass that possibility. The Water Authority has been leading efforts for the past two years to monetize its water supplies and share the benefits of its hard work with other water suppliers throughout the Southwest on a temporary or permanent basis to protect our future. This work is complex due to a long history of legal cases, state laws and century old federal regulations. It doesn’t happen overnight — even though we all wish it did – but it remains the highest priority of the Water Authority.
Looking forward, the Water Authority will remain focused on addressing rate stability, providing drought-proof water supplies, as well as leading the region and the industry in innovative ways to move water where it is needed for the benefit of all San Diego County ratepayers. Reassigning the responsibility for maintaining critical regional water infrastructure to multiple self-interested parties would be a true disservice to all San Diegans.
Our goal has been and continues to be safe and reliable water at the lowest cost. Dissolving the regional water agency would do nothing to achieve this. Instead, it would set us back decades and put our future at risk.
Voice of San Diego confirmed this letter was signed by the following former chairs of the San Diego County Water Authority:
- Mike Madigan – 1990-1992
- Mark Watton – 1995-1996
- Chris Frahm – 1997-1998
- Bernie Rhinerson – 2003-2004
- Michael Hogan – 2010-2012
- Mark Weston – 2014-2016
- Mark Muir – 2016-2018
- Jim Madaffer – 2018-2020
- Gary Croucher – 2020-2022
- Mel Katz – 2022-2024
County leaders are keeping their options open for a future county-backed tax hike as a citizens coalition pushes a November sales tax measure.
Officials in late April quietly extended a contract with consultants tasked with researching and poll-testing potential county revenue options for a Board of Supervisors subcommittee led by Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Vice Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe. The extension is for up to two years and the price tag remains up to $320,000.
Other county supervisors’ offices told Voice of San Diego they weren’t notified of the change – and one is now working on a policy proposal to force public updates on subcommittee-directed contracts.
County spokesperson Tammy Glenn said staff directed the contract extension “in consultation with the subcommittee” and based on prior board approval last September to create the Sustainable Fiscal Planning Subcommittee. The item allowed the subcommittee to hire and pay consultants up to $500,000 to explore multiple options to increase county revenues and taxes.
An initial January 2026 contract called for Chula Vista-based Ironwood Public Affairs and four subcontractors including a prominent local Democratic campaign consultant to survey county residents, prepare revenue estimates for potential tax hike options, conduct focus groups and outreach and submit a report by May 1.
On April 30, county staff amended the contract with Ironwood to “deliver any requested ballot measure language, report, and presentations no later than June 30, 2028.”
Five days later, a coalition that includes labor groups and advocates submitted signatures to the county registrar’s office for a proposed countywide sales tax hike projected to raise $360 million annually to fund healthcare, child care, solutions to the Tijuana River sewage crisis and public safety. The registrar’s office has since confirmed the measure qualified for the November ballot.
Lawson-Remer has rallied behind the sales tax proposal and argued that a “local revenue measure” could shield the county from Trump administration-backed cuts. The county has projected that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could cost the county $300 million annually.
In a statement, Lawson-Remer’s office noted that a board majority voted last September to create the subcommittee and hire a consultant.
“With the Trump Administration threatening healthcare, food assistance, behavioral health, and other core services — and federal decisions being announced, reversed, paused, challenged, and revived in real time — the county and Fiscal Subcommittee has a responsibility to plan for multiple scenarios, including federal cuts, state shortfalls, taxpayer savings, state advocacy, and whether any local funding option does or does not materialize,” Lawson-Remer’s office wrote.
In a separate statement, Montgomery Steppe also pointed to board approval of the subcommittee and its work “evaluating fiscal risks and options to help inform future Board decisions.”
A few months after the September vote to approve the subcommittee, the county hired Ironwood Public Affairs led by former county staffer Victor Aviña. Aviña’s company subcontracted with prominent Democratic campaign consultant Dan Rottenstreich’s company Amplify Campaigns, polling firm FM3 Research, Los Angeles revenue forecasting firm Economic & Planning Systems and Los Angeles-based law firm Kaufman Legal Group.
Glenn said the county has thus far paid Ironwood $96,000 for planning tasks that the initial contract said should be completed by early this year.
The county has yet to provide documents to Voice that the contractor submitted to the county about its work a month after a public-records request.
Spokespeople for the county’s three other elected supervisors said this week they weren’t notified about the changes to the contract.
Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond, the two Republicans on the board, have criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the subcommittees and consultants at least two of them have hired.
At an April board meeting, Desmond argued that subcommittees shouldn’t be allowed to spend county money or secure contracts without a review by the full board.
And Anderson has pushed for reforms to increase transparency for subcommittees that have met behind closed doors. The board on Thursday unanimously approved changes to make more of those meetings more public.
Anderson’s office said he is now working on a board proposal that, among other changes, would also require updates to the full board on work that outside consultants are doing for subcommittees. He expects to bring the proposal to the board in August.
“There’s no possibility of secrecy when a vendor/contractor reports to the entire board,” Anderson wrote in a statement.
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San Diego, CA
Streetsblog San Diego Launches July 27 — Help Us Build the Future of Transportation Journalism – Streetsblog California
For years, Streetsblog readers in Southern California have asked us the same question: “When are you coming to San Diego?”
Friends…we’re excited to announce that we have an answer: Streetsblog San Diego will officially launch on July 27. Excited? Consider making a donation to help us lift off…
The new site will cover transportation, housing, climate, public space, safe streets, transit, and active transportation issues across San Diego County, and some of its neighbors. From bike lane projects and transit expansions to housing near transit and climate policy, Streetsblog San Diego will provide the kind of accountability journalism and solutions-focused reporting that has made Streetsblog a trusted voice across California.
What’s especially exciting about this launch is how it is coming together. You may have noticed over the last couple of months, increased local coverage in San Diego (collated here) as we’ve been getting ready for the launch.
We’ve been able to do that because Streetsblog San Diego is being built as a collaboration between leaders and volunteers from Streetsblog California, Bike SD, Ride SD, San Diego 350, and other community organizations and advocates who share a vision for safer, more sustainable transportation and land-use policies. At launch, much of our content will be produced by a growing team of volunteers and freelance contributors who care deeply about the future of San Diego’s streets, transit systems, and neighborhoods.
This community-powered model allows us to begin covering a region that desperately needs more transportation journalism while we work to build a sustainable long-term funding base.
But that’s where we need your help.
Launching a new newsroom takes resources. We launched a pre-fundraiser for “friends and family” of the core group that has been working on making Streetsblog SD a reality, and raised enough funding to cover the fees associated with the launch of the website, and put aside a couple hundred dollars towards our next goal: raising $18,000 for a freelance fund and short video fund that will ensure regular written and video coverage.
Even with volunteer writers and editors donating countless hours, there are still costs for freelance reporting, editing, website maintenance, photography, public records requests, event coverage, video production, and the many other expenses that go into producing quality journalism. There’s a lot of ways you can donate, if you’re interested in helping, you can get started here. If you’re one of those donors who gives through a DAF, the non profit that publishes Streetsblog is called the Southern California Streets Initiative and our EIN is 27-3421838. We are a federally recognized 501c(3) non-profit.
Your donation today will help us:
- Pay local freelance reporters, photographers, and videographers
- Expand coverage across San Diego County
- Cover transit, housing, and climate issues that often go underreported
- Train and support volunteer contributors
- Build Streetsblog San Diego into a permanent part of the region’s media landscape
In the long run, we will be seeking funds for a part-time or full-time editor. Every donation, no matter how large or small, will help us attract major donors, foundations, and advertisers so Streetsblog SD will be staffed similarly to the ones in Los Angeles and the Bay Area.
The challenges facing San Diego are too important to ignore. The region is making critical decisions about transit investments, housing production, street safety, climate resilience, and public space. Residents deserve independent journalism that explains those decisions, holds decision-makers accountable, and highlights solutions that can improve people’s daily lives.
That’s what Streetsblog has done for two decades and what will do in San Diego
Here is some of the dining news from across San Diego County, as well as some upcoming events for foodies.
Cala café opens in La Jolla: From 6 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Amy de Leon will host the grand opening of her new restaurant Cala La Jolla Café in La Jolla’s historic Arcade building. Cala will offer what she calls an “omakase” coffee and matcha experience, breakfast and lunch menus and fresh-made pastries. De Leon, a real estate agent, also owns a coffee shop on the UC San Diego campus. 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. 7910 Girard Ave., La Jolla. 858-333-8610, calalajolla.com.
Board & Brew opens in Midway District: This sandwich-and-draft beer quick-service restaurant chain has opened a new location near the USS Midway Museum. Founded in 1979, the company now dozens of locations in California, Arizona and Texas. Shop hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. 825 N. Harbor St., Suite 109, San Diego. boardandbrew.com.
Vincenzo debuts pasta program: Vicenzo Cucina & Lounge in Little Italy has introduced an in-house pasta program powered by its new artisan pasta-making machine that guests can see churning out different varieties of pasta in the restaurants’ front window. The handmade pasta wil be served with lunch and dinner entrées. 550 W. Date St., Suite A, San Diego. vincenzosd.com
Urban Plates new summer menu: Urban Plates, with 22 locations statewide including Carlsbad, Del Mar and La Jolla, has unveiled new drinks and dishes this month for its summer menu. New dishes include a BBQ jalapeño cheesebuger, Southwest grilled chicken salad and a superfood grilled chicken salad. There’s also a new lineup of refreshing fruit-based “cooloer” drinks priced at $4.50. They include strawberry basil lemonade, pineapple coconut lime, organic lemonade and dragon fruit and strawberry. urbanplates.com
Del Mar festival lineup announced: This year’s Del Mar Wine & Food Festival, returning with seven events Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, has unveiled some of the culinary headliners who will be cooking at the event. They are Michelin-starred chef Drew Deckman; cookbook author and TV food show judge Aarti Sequeira; Camelback Mountain executive chef Beau MacMillan; “Top Chef” victor and now chef/co-owner of Huson in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood, Buddha Lo; cookbook author and Weelicious.com media platform founder Catherine McCord; L.A.-based chef Jackson Kalb; Pei Wei culinary executive, Food Network host and contestant and cookbook author Jet Tila; Clutch Chicken restaurang group founder and TV cooking show contestant Kelsey Murphy; chef, author TV personality and Morph Hospitality Group co-founder Maneet Chauhan; and James Beard-nominated chef of the Colorado restaurant Mawa’s Kitchen, Mawa McQueen. Tickets are now on sale at delmar.wine
Lion’s Share + Animae family-style collab: On July 9, two downtown restaurants will collaborate on ANIMAENIACS, a family-style dinner for parties of six. The Lion’s Share chef Dante Romero and Animae chef Tara Monsod will create a multicourse meal that draws on Romero’s Mexican heritage and Monsod’s Filipino heritage. The all-inclusive meal will include three beverages per person including cocktails, beer or non-alcoholic, and an after-party. Seatings are available at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. July 9. $1,080 for a party of six. The Lion’s Share, 629 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Reservations at exploretock.com/the-lions-share-san-diego.
Tiki Oasis returns: The annual Tiki Oasis convention, which takes place each summer at the Town & Country Resort in Mission Valley, has announced its 2026 dates and theme. This year’s 26th convention, titled “Psychadelic Tiki,” will run Aug. 5-9. This year’s convention will include an art exhibition, more than 40 seminars, a 150-vendor marketplace, live entertainment and more. There will also be a sunset luau dinner at The Catamaran Resort. Details at tikioasis.com.
Pam Kragen, Union-Tribune
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