What do you think?
Op-ed: Water is Life
Published 02/22/2024 7:53am PST
As a lifelong, vested resident of this community–a proud husband, father, and grandfather who has raised his family here in Pomona, my dedication in protecting our water quality is not just a job to me, it’s personal.
Water is Life and must be safeguarded. It is our job at the water district to continue to provide our retail customers with a reliable source of water, and we pride ourselves in making sure of that, by working closely with the Water Resources Department in Pomona, our tap water is potable and safe for all your daily needs at home. In fact, to this day, I still drink our water from the tap.
Keeping Pomona’s water clean and affordable is no easy feat. One of the most significant fights in doing so was against the Cadiz Corporation plan to extract large quantities of groundwater from under dry lake beds in the Mojave desert from the Bonanza Springs. They are water speculators whose bizarre scheme was to drill for water under California's deserts and sell it to your area, which threatens springs that desert life depends on. This was not the solution to our water management and sustainability issues because Orange County would have had priority access to this water, and this water resource would have been depleted in a heartbeat. That is why I voted against it, even if I was a lone wolf in this decision. Ultimately, with the help of the Sierra Club, Native American tribes of the Mojave desert, community stakeholders and other water district colleagues who supported me in putting the project to rest.
Over the past 12 years of my tenure, the water district also strengthened partnerships with our local retail agencies like Pomona, Walnut Valley, and Rowland Water Districts in joint projects throughout our service area, to educate our community about water conservancy. This entailed how one exactly can become a wise water-conscious consumer through establishing drought tolerant landscaping, using water-efficient shower heads, toilets, and sprinklers in your homes and businesses.
Establishing career pathways, in partnership with other agencies and organizations in the water industry, for our students here in our community led to the initiation of the youth Junior Water Protectors Pilot Program. The goal of this program was to acclimate participants to the importance of water in their everyday life. This is something I will continue to advocate for to give students in communities of color exposure and access to careers that actually pay a livable working wage while tackling the drought issue. Many have joined our apprenticeship program and have gone on to obtain employment at various water districts.
Looking forward, it is imperative for us here at home to shore up our water supplies through stormwater capture and recharge of our basins and aquifers. Water reuse and recycling must also continue to be a priority. As we continue to deal with climate change and its effects on our weather, we must look at all options, including new technologies in desalination. By doing this we will lessen our dependence on imported water and ensure our water sustainability here athome for our community. If elected to the California State Assembly, one of my goals will be to continue this work for a better and safer future for all.
Carlos Goytia, an elected Three Valleys Municipal Water Board Trustee, is currently running for Assembly Member of Assembly District 52.
Community Responses: 2024 Mayoral & City Council Poll
By Julian Lucas
Published 12/20/2023 | 11:15 Am PST
Earlier this month, the Pomonan published an election poll, which included the race for Mayor and City Council Districts 1, 4, and 6. Additionally, the Pomonan asked a series of three questions in regards to transparency, accountability & election promises, and what issues voters feel need to be addressed.
The mayoral poll took a shocking turn when candidate California Assembly Member, Freddie Rodriguez from Assembly District 52, announced his candidacy for Mayor. Mayor Tim Sandoval, the incumbent, leading poll popularity was humbled and Rodriguez took a slight lead at the time of the poll’s closing.
Initially, District 1 City Council incumbent, John Nolte, had an enormous lead, but this lead quickly shrunk when Pomona Library Board of Trustees Commissioner Debra Martin made it known she was also running.
District 4’s incumbent, Elizabeth Cole-Ontiveras continues to lose popularity as voters continue to choose between the two other contenders, Chara Swodeck and Guillermo Gonzalez. Gonzalez has a commanding lead over both candidates.
There is no incumbent for the 2024 City Council race for District 6. The three contenders, Lorraine Canales, Miranda Sheffield, and Glenda Barillas are almost level at this point.
When individuals run for office, they promise to perform certain tasks once elected. Since the poll became active on December 4th voters have voiced their concerns about the functionality of the city. 76.6% of voters feel the leadership has not fulfilled their tasks as promised.
Voters also voiced their concerns about the lack of transparency in government. 76.6% feel there isn’t transparency within the government..
57.8% of voters feel Mayor Sandoval has not addressed important issues such as economic development, city budget management, infrastructure improvements, along with social equity and inclusion. While 20.8% voiced their confidence in the Mayor, but 20.1% said they were unsure.
Furthermore, community members were able to voice important concerns regarding what they’d like to see addressed by city leaders. Many concerns were voiced and the majority of what was concerning was crime, prostitution, and the unhoused situation. We have provided a list of items that are important concerns for the people of Pomona. This list does not include all concerns and many of the responders’ concerns were the same.
The concerns they listed tallied in this order: Crime followed by Taxes, Homelessness, Economic Development and Youth Services.
The poll will close in 5 days, but The Pomonan plans to repoll in the spring and fall. The poll represents 154 people so far. They are responding in a city within a county that are both notorious for low voter registration rates and low voter turnout rates.
The Pomonan sends an open invitation to all candidates to submit substantive op-eds stating their position on an issue (or issues) that they consider critical to our community. No campaign propaganda, please. The Pomonan plans to publish articles where a candidate takes a stand, explains their position and explains how they plan to address the issue.
Julian Lucas, is a photographer, a purveyor of books, and writer, but mostly a photographer. Don’t ever ask him to take photos of events. Julian is also the owner and founder of Mirrored Society Book Shop, publisher of The Pomonan, founder of Book-Store, and founder of PPABF.
