Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 5, 2007
5. Agencies, Programs, People
Santa Clara Valley water czar's hiring method questioned; DISTRICT CEO IGNORED LEGAL ADVICE, CHOSE BOARD MEMBER FOR KEY POST - San Jose Mercury News
Santa Clara Valley Water District Board Member Resigns to Join District’s Leadership Team - News Release: Santa Clara Valley Water District
PROPOSITION 50 FUNDS:
$6 million for
Santa Clara Valley water czar's hiring method questioned; DISTRICT CEO IGNORED LEGAL ADVICE, CHOSE BOARD MEMBER FOR KEY POST
By Paul Rogers, staff writer
In a move that has sparked questions about public accountability, the CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Water District this week hired one of the district's elected board members to a $184,000-a year, newly created staff job without advertising the position or interviewing other candidates.
Water district Chief Executive Officer Stan Williams made the decision to hire Greg Zlotnick, who represents
Williams said that Zlotnick, 43, an attorney with more than 15 years experience in water issues, is critically needed to help shape policy dealing with water supply problems from
But the decision took the other six members of the board by surprise and ran counter to the ad vice of the water district's lawyer, who had urged Williams to advertise the new job so other people could apply.
Some good government advocates said the move is probably not illegal, but troubling because it could give the appearance of favoritism and cronyism, and involves a large taxpayer-funded salary.
"This guy could very well be the best person for the job," said Ned Wigglesworth, a policy advocate with Common Cause, a government reform group in
Williams, however, vigorously defended his decision.
"What's happening in the delta has gotten very, very serious," Williams said Tuesday, referring to state decisions last month to temporarily shut off delta pumps to protect a tiny endangered fish.
"The next year-and-a-half is going to be the most critical period we've had for a long time," he said. "All the major water agencies are putting people on this issue. I wanted Greg to be on it full time. He's the best person."
Zlotnick, elected to the water board three times since 1996, sent other board members a letter June 28 that said he will resign from the board July 10 "to pursue other opportunities that will require my full attention." The water district's board members are paid $236 a meeting, up to 10 meetings a month for a total of about $28,000 a year.
In addition to the $184,000 salary, Zlotnick's new position comes with a $450 a month car allowance.
Several weeks ago, Williams asked the water district's attorney, Debbie Cauble, for a legal opinion. She recommended the district advertise the new position so other people could apply.
Citing "various current complaints and legal challenges" about fairness in hiring and promotion, as well as concerns among employees about opportunities for advancement, Cauble said in a June 19 memo to Williams: "It is my view that you, Director Zlotnick, the Board, and the District would be better protected from criticism if any employment offer to Director Zlotnick followed a competitive selection process."
But Williams bypassed that advice.
"I could go through the formalities of recruiting people, so you can always say you did it, but in reality he would have been the guy I would have picked, so it is better to just cut to the chase," Williams said Tuesday.
Based in
The agency has come under some scrutiny in recent years for its spending habits. Its staff grew 46 percent - from 541 people in 1994 to 789 in 2005 - according to an audit by the
"The district generally does a commendable job," but pays higher wages than other government agencies in the county, the grand jury wrote in its 2005-06 report. It noted the district's salary costs doubled from $49 million in 2000 to $99 million in 2006.
It also noted that Williams has 33 "unclassified, senior, high-salary employees" whose salaries last year averaged $152,000 and who "serve at the pleasure of the CEO."
The district board will appoint a new member by Aug. 9 to complete Zlotnick's term.
Zlotnick said Tuesday he is excited about the new position and is well qualified for it.
He is currently a board member of the Association of California Water Agencies, and the governor's Delta Vision Stakeholder Coordinating Group, and worked in the administration of former Gov. Pete Wilson specializing in water issues.
"Considering my involvement in state water policy, Stan determined I was the best person to offer this job to," Zlotnick said. "I look at it as a continuation of my service to the community. I would challenge anyone to find a better candidate for this job." #
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_6295880?nclick_check=1
Santa Clara Valley Water District Board Member Resigns to Join District’s Leadership Team
News Release: Santa Clara Valley Water District – 7/2/07
Contacts: Susan Siravo, Office: (408) 265-2607, ext. 2290,
“I am very excited about becoming part of the District’s excellent staff and continuing to work on the community’s behalf. The water management challenges confronting
Zlotnick, who is Vice-Chairman of the Board, is resigning his seat effective July 10, 2007. The search for his replacement begins immediately. The Board plans to appoint a new Director before Aug. 9, 2007.
Zlotnick’s resignation comes on the heels of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) decision to shut down the water pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Although the pumps are currently running again at reduced rate, the scientific evidence shows the Delta's ecosystem is badly damaged.
Zlotnick has more than twenty years of experience in
Zlotnick will also play a major role in the District's strategic planning for climate change initiatives.
“There is no more important issue related to fulfilling the District’s mission in the future than adapting to global climate change. I look forward to working with District staff to take our already effective carbon reduction programs to the next level, “said Zlotnick.
His background makes him uniquely qualified for this newly created position. Zlotnick was first elected to the Board in 1996, and was reelected in 2000 and 2004. In 2000, he served as Board Chair and Chair of the successful Measure B campaign, which garnered more than two-thirds support countywide for a comprehensive watershed stewardship and flood management program.
“Greg brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience. He has a comprehensive understanding of the state’s water system and the District will benefit from his years of working in different capacities,” said water district CEO Stan Williams.
An attorney specializing in environmental and water issues, Zlotnick is a former water policy specialist in the Director's office of the California Department of Fish and Game. He served on Governor Davis' Advisory Drought Planning Panel as well as serving as Vice-Chair of the Governor's Floodplain Management Task Force. He is also the Vice-Chair of the Bay Area Water Forum.
Zlotnick is also involved in water issues through state and national organizations. He is currently on the boards of directors for the Association of California Water Agencies (where he serves as chairman of the Federal Affairs Committee), the National Water Resources Association, the National WateReuse Association, the American Ground Water Trust and Public Officials for Water and Environmental Reform. He is also active with the National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies.
Zlotnick grew up in
The Santa Clara Valley Water District manages wholesale drinking water resources and provides stewardship for the county's five watersheds, including 10 reservoirs, more than 800 miles of streams and groundwater basins. The water district also provides flood protection throughout
http://www.valleywater.org/News_and_events/News_releases/July_2_2007.htm
PROPOSITION 50 FUNDS:
$6 million for
By Karen McIntyre, staff intern
Applicants in
Proposition 50, the Water Security, Clean Drinking Water, Coastal and Beach Protection Act, passed in November 2002. The Department of Water Resources initially received 207 proposals for the grants and narrowed them down to 57.
The department is now beginning to award more than $28 million to the state projects. Only two — in Southern California and
The conservation benefits of the projects include water and energy savings, in-stream flow benefits and improvements in water quality and local flexibility, according to the staff report.
The local projects are:
Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District — $2,584,864
The district has an open-ditch system that irrigates 130,000 acres of crops. The money will fund the district's water conservation and management project, which will help replace outdated equipment and create a more efficient irrigation process, controller Dennis Michum said.
Currently, the staff uses a system that operates on a radio network to open and close gates to release or hold water. The grant will allow purchase of a new computer system that uses Internet protocol to lift and lower gates.
The new state-of-the-art equipment will fine tune canal adjustments and make the irrigation system more reliable. It will save an estimated 44,700 acre-feet of water from spilling each year. One acre-foot is enough to cover an acre of land a foot deep, or enough water for a family of four for 12-18 months.
Orland Unit Water Users Association — $2,490,895
A construction of a regulating reservoir will improve this 100-year-old irrigation system.
The association's old rotation system takes 12-14 days for water to travel around the 17,000 acres it irrigates. A study found that too much water is being delivered in the spring and fall and not enough during the summer, general manager Rick Massa said.
A regulating reservoir, a structure put on canal systems to allow the efficient use of water, will improve the irrigation method.
Orland Water Users receives two requests for water deliveries from Black Butte Dam daily. The infrastructure improvements will give the company more flexibility by storing excess water in a reservoir for later use,
"There's benefits all the way down into the delta."
Ducks Unlimited — $1,740,958
The canal system running from the M&T Chico Ranch to the Llano Seco Ranch is only operating at 30 percent capacity, in its effort to feed the ranchland and wildlife habitat with water from Butte Creek and the
Mass amounts of water are leaking from two redwood siphons that carry water in tubes underground, director of conservation services Mark Biddlecomb said. The siphons, one 530-feet long and the other 1,200 feet, were built in 1926 and are collapsing in on themselves.
Restoring the water system would conserve 6,420 acre-feet annually, Biddlecomb said. The project would mean less water would be diverted from Butte Creek and the
Ducks Unlimited is still $700,000 short of the funding needed to begin the project, but the goal is to earn that money within a year and complete the project less than two years from now. #
DWR's California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader's services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost1.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news. DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of
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