HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.a. General Manager Written Announcements Page 1 of 3
Item 10.a.
CENTRALSAN
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CENTRAL CONTRA COSTA SANITARY DISTRICT
September 18, 2020
TO: HONORABLE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FROM: ROGER S. BAILEY, GENERAL MANAGER
SUBJECT: ANNOUNCEMENTS - SEPTEMBER 18, 2020
Attached are the announcements for the above meeting.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. General Manager Written Announcements
September 18, 2020 Special Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 138 of 154
Page 2 of 3
ATTACHMENT 1
Board Meeting of September 18, 2020
General Manager Written Announcements
AREA-BASED ELECTIONS
1) Central San Transitioning to Area-Based Elections with Second Public
Hearing on September 21, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.
Central San is transitioning from an at-large election system to an area-based election
system. Under the current at-large election system, all five members of the Board of Directors
are chosen by constituents from the District's entire service area. Under area-based elections,
the District will be divided into five separate election areas—called "divisions"—and voters
residing in each area will select one representative to serve on the Board.
Why is Central San making this change?
Central San received a certified letter from a Malibu-based law firm on July 13, 2020,
asserting that the District's at-large election system violates the California Voting Rights
Act. The letter did not provide any evidence of a violation. Still, Central San takes the
assertions in the letter very seriously and is taking appropriate action. The letter threatens
litigation if the District does not adopt a by-division election system.
Central San is not alone; many cities, school districts, and special districts have received
similar letters in recent years. Based on similar cases in other jurisdictions, litigation over
this issue is usually very expensive, over $1 million and sometimes more. To avoid this
significant cost to ratepayers, the Board adopted a resolution on August 20, 2020
declaring an intention to transition to area-based elections.
What's next?
Central San held its first public hearing on the evening of September 3 to receive
community input regarding the composition of potential electoral division boundaries. All
residents of the District are invited to attend a second public hearing for the same
purpose on the following date:
Monday, September 21, 2020, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
The hearing will be held in the Central San Multi-Purpose Room, 5019 Imhoff Place,
Martinez, as well as by videoconference, in which the public may participate. The
meeting also will be live-streamed on our website at centralsan.org. Please visit our
website at centralsan.org/elections to learn how you may participate in this meeting.
Questions?
If you have questions or desire further information, contact Secretary of the District
Katie Young at sod@centralsan.org or (925) 229-7303.
September 18, 2020 Special Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 139 of 154
Page 3 of 3
Written Announcements
September 18, 2020
Page 2 of 2
HUMAN RESOURCES
2) Central San Welcomes New Employee Nicole Crawford, Administrative
Assistant
Nicole Crawford is the new Engineering Administrative Assistant in the Planning &
Development Services Division since August 31 , 2020. Prior to joining Central San,
Nicole worked at the City of Concord in the Engineering Department for five years as an
Administrative Clerk and was promoted to an Administrative Secretary. In the past, she
also worked for Central San as a temporary employee in the Administration and
Engineering Departments. Nicole resides in Martinez and enjoys camping, fishing, game
night with family, and cooking. We are excited to welcome back Nicole to Central San.
3) Central San Welcomes New Employee Jesse McDermott, Chemist I
Jesse McDermott joined Central San as a Chemist I in the Engineering Department,
Environmental & Regulatory Compliance Division, effective September 8, 2020. Jesse
comes to Central San from the City of Petaluma, where he was formerly a Laboratory
Analyst. Prior to this, he worked for two years as a QA (Quality Assurance) Analytical
Lab Technician for Sierra Nevada Brewery performing gPCR (quantitative polymerase
chain reaction) to identify microbial contamination and operated GC/MS (gas
chromatography/mass spectrometry) instrumentation. Jesse grew up in Chico and
graduated from California State University, Chico with a Bachelor's in Microbiology/
Biochemistry. We are excited to have Jesse joining the Central San Laboratory.
September 18, 2020 Special Board Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 140 of 154