Olivia is on the June ballot

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The filing is complete for my re-election bid. I have many ideas for sharing information on this site - stay tuned for new content. For now, I will focus on the basics, including

My Official Candidate Statement:

As a lifelong member of the Tri-Valley community and proud alumna of our local schools, it is an honor to serve as your Zone 7 Director. When you elected me to my first term in 2018, I promised to analyze water rates and ask tough questions about how Zone 7 spends our money. I delivered on my promise when I voted NO to increasing residential and commercial rates. I also re-worked agricultural rates in a transparent, public process. My Board colleagues selected me to serve as President and Vice-President because I am a collaborative and trustworthy team player. As a UCLA-educated mathematician and MBA with over 20 years of professional experience in the science and technology industries, I bring to the Board real-world knowledge that is critical when evaluating construction projects and water quality testing processes, including PFAS. This experience is also vital when analyzing extreme weather impacts on our water supply and flood management system. I hope to earn your vote for re-election to continue my role as a responsible fiduciary dedicated to a safe and reliable water supply, effective flood management planning, a sharp focus on transparency, and investments in local water storage projects.

A short summary about Zone 7 Water Agency:

Zone 7 currently serves over 260,000 people and is responsible for providing wholesale treated (drinking) and untreated (agricultural) water, flood control, and groundwater management throughout eastern Alameda County. Zone 7 has broad power to finance, construct and operate a system for the transportation, storage, treatment, and distribution of water. Click here for more information

Map of Zone 7 service area:

Unfortunately, San Ramon voters do not vote for Zone 7 Directors: As you can see on this map, the Dougherty Valley area of the City of San Ramon receives treated water from Zone 7; this water is distributed via Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD), and San Ramon voters are part of the DSRSD voting region. Zone 7 was formed as a dependent special district established under the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Act - this means only Alameda County voters residing in the Zone 7 region can vote for and serve as Zone 7 Directors. For more information about this arrangement, I recommend this article from 2005: Water Politics Shape Dougherty Valley

Election notes: I receive many questions about running for elected office, and when it makes sense, I will try to incorporate some notes about the process itself. As an Incumbent, I had the deadline of March 11, 2022, to file for re-election to the Zone 7 Board of Directors; it costs $0 to file to run for this elected office. However, an option is available to submit a 200-word Candidate Statement included in the printed Sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlet mailed to all voters. Given the large size of the Zone 7 voting district, the cost for a Candidate Statement this year is $4,402. Another question I receive is why is Zone 7 on the June primary ballot instead of the November general election ballot. This has to do with our status as a dependent special district of Alameda County - all Alameda County elected offices are on the primary ballot (first Tuesday in June for non-presidential election years; Super Tuesday in March for presidential election years). While the Zone 7 Board is an independently elected board established to provide local control of integrated water resources, Zone 7 is also a part of the Alameda County organization.

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