Sativa Water District Experiences of the State’s First Administrator November 14, 2019 1
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Sativa Water District
Experiences of the State’s First Administrator
November 14, 2019
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FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
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✓1,600 Connections
✓7,000 Residents
✓1/3rd Square Mile
✓Disadvantaged Community
✓2 Wells, Zero Storage, No Interconnections
Sativa Statistics
FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
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Background
✓ Years of intermittent brown water
✓ April 2018 flushing ▪ System went to bottled water
✓ News media attention▪ LAFCo▪ State Board Compliance Orders▪ AB 1577▪ LA County appointed as
Administrator
FIRST WEEK ON THE JOB4
ON THE INSIDE
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Initial Assessment
✓ Financially insolvent
✓ No financial controls
✓ Rapid financial and operational assessment
✓ Infrastructure in critical condition
GETTING TO WORK: ADMINISTRATION
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✓Rebuilding financial records
✓ Straightening out contracts and services
✓ Financial Audit
✓Multiple cash injections
GETTING TO WORK: FIELD OPERATIONS
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GETTING TO WORK: BUILDING TRUST
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SUCCESS
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COMPLETING THE JOB
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Completing the Job
✓ RFP for the Sale of the Water System
✓ 5 Bids Submitted on 11/12/19
✓ Scoring and Potential Interviews to Follow
8 PEARLS OF WISDOM
No One Knew How Bad Sativa Was✓Find a way to identify troubled water systems without creating a burdensome
oversight process for everyone else
Administrator Is Not a Part-Time, Retired GM✓ Need to bring in a multi-discipline, multi-member team✓ Team needs to be supported by an entity with substantial resources
Taking Over a Troubled Water System Isn’t Cheap✓Need to finance the Administrator, make the Administrator agency whole
Location, Location, Location✓ Proximity is key; costs multiply when you bring in an agency from out of town
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8 PEARLS OF WISDOM (Con’t)12
Troubled Water Systems May Have Legacy Legal Issues✓ Must give Administrator ironclad immunity from litigation/liability
Wining Hearts and Minds vs Repairing Infrastructure✓ Rebuilding trust with customers is just as important as eliminating brown
water
DACs Can Have a Fear & Distrust of Government✓ Need for communications experts✓ Partnership w/existing community groups
Emergency Powers for an Emergency Situation✓ Create speed and flexibility in contracting and procurement ✓ Prolong the Administrator period / delay dissolution
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