Veteran South Valley politician Sig Sanchez has been named the
new chairman of the Santa Clara Valley Water District in his 50th
year of public service.
Veteran South Valley politician Sig Sanchez has been named the new chairman of the Santa Clara Valley Water District in his 50th year of public service.
It will be the fourth term as chairman for Sanchez, a former Gilroy mayor and longtime Santa Clara County Supervisor who joined the water district’s board of directors in 1980. He currently serves as an at-large board member chosen by county supervisors to represent South Valley communities.
Sanchez re-enters the driver’s seat with challenges ahead. One of his chief goals this year will be ensuring the district builds flood protection facilities as rapidly as possible in the face of rising land-aquisition and construction costs and reduced state and federal funding.
District voters approved the Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection program in November 2000.
The program and accompanying tax, which appeared on the ballot as Measure B, is expected to raise roughly $25 million a year or a total of $381 million for flood protection, creek maintenance and environmental restoration until 2015.
South Valley was slated for $1.6 million for creek maintenance and flood protection projects each year from the tax. The bulk of the money – $1.3 million annually – goes to Morgan Hill and makes up the local share of money for flood protection projects along Little Llagas Creek.
The district is responsible for managing the county’s drinking water resources, coordinating flood protection for 1.7 million residents and providing stewardship for 10 reservoirs and more than 700 miles of streams.
Sanchez takes the gavel from Rosemary Kamei, a Morgan Hill resident who also represents the South Valley on the seven-member board.
