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Charles Treviño, a longtime South Pasadena resident, was first elected to the board of directors of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District in November 2008 and has served three consecutive 4-year terms.
He’s back for more, seeking reelection on Tuesday, November 3, hoping to remain in office.
The Upper District was created by the State of California in 1960 to help sustain adequate water supplies in the rapidly growing San Gabriel Valley. Today, it provides supplemental water to 27 water retailers, 18 cities, serving 975,000 residents within a service area of 144 square miles.
The agency also provides recycled water and facilitates efforts in water stewardship, including conservation and storm water capture.
Among his roles with the Upper Distrct, Treviño, one of five elected board members, is responsible for setting overall policy, setting water rates, and entering into contracts to ensure a smooth operation for an organization with a $27.5 million budget during the current fiscal year.
The Upper District carries the motto: “Where solutions flow,” meaning “we are constantly striving to come up with ideas that will continue to make sure we are providing clean, reliable and affordable water for many generations to come,” he explained.
The Upper District offers a variety of conservation programs including turf (lawn) removal, leak detection, smart gardening classes, residential/commercial rebates through SoCalwatersmart.com and provide water bottle fill stations.
“Conservation is important for us in South Pasadena because it means less expensive imported water the city has to buy from Upper District, and saves us from depleting our precious groundwater,” explained Treviño, who is running against Bridget Prince and James T. Law, who both reside in San Gabriel. “It is important that South Pasadena residents support my re-election because I will continue to bring resources and programs back to the community. I will make sure that our city, which is not contiguous with the rest of the Upper District’s service area, is represented, and its voice is heard.”
He represents Upper District’s Division 2, including all or parts of South Pasadena, Arcadia, Rosemead, San Gabriel, South San Gabriel, and Temple City.
Treviño comes to Upper District with a solid professional background in the water industry. He retired from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) in 2014 as a key member of the public affairs team.
A 30-year South Pasadena community member, Treviño understands the needs of the city’s water infrastructure while serving on the Public Works Commission, constantly striving to bring solutions to the complex issue of water.
“It is my hope that with my reelection, the City of South Pasadena will continue to have hometown representation in the very important issue of water for our city,” said Treviño. “My lifelong commitment is to working for water solutions in the San Gabriel Valley.”
