By Mary O’KEEFE

There are four people running for three seats on the Crescenta Valley Water District board of directors. They are [as they appear on the ballot] Alec Hyeler, Jeffery W. Johnson – incumbent, Carla D. Dillion and James Bodnar – incumbent. 

CVW reached out to all four candidates. Two of them responded last week as of press time (James Bodnar and Carla Dillion). Their answers were provided in last week’s newspaper. This week we are including the response of respondent Jeffrey Johnson. Alec Hyeler was not able to reply by press time.  

Question No. 1: What is your background in regard to the water district?

Jeffrey W. Johnson: I have lived in La Crescenta for the past 31 years. My wife, Monna Johnson, and I were blessed to have two kids who attended and graduated from our local school district. Representing clients over the last 39 years as an attorney, I have extensive, practical experience working with California and federal environmental law related to water quality standards and remediation of soil and groundwater. I am running to be re-elected to the CVWD board of directors. I was elected to the board in 2021.

After serving on the board for one year in 2022, I was elected by my fellow board members to serve first as vice president and then president of the board. I led the CVWD efforts to reach settlements with several manufacturers of PFAs, which have resulted in the District receiving over $2.4 million to date to address the contaminants. I lead the effort to make public safety, particularly firefighting support and water system hardening, a priority at CVWD. Since then, CVWD management has worked with the local fire department to gain “first responder status” for District employees needed during fire and other emergencies. 

Question No. 2: What is the biggest challenge facing CVWD and their customers?

Jeffrey W. Johnson: The biggest challenge is the fire risk to the CVWD entire water delivery system. We must do all we can to prevent a fire disaster like the ones in Altadena and Paradise, California where the entire water delivery systems were destroyed.   

Question No. 3: What issue would you first like to focus on if elected? 

Jeffrey W. Johnson: Frankly, there is not one. Here are the issues I will focus on if re-elected to the CVWD board of directors:

• First and foremost, I am committed to CVWD improving water system hardening and survivability during fire events. It is paramount that CVWD does not suffer the same fate as the water agencies located in Altadena and Paradise, California, among others. While there are no easy solutions, doing little or nothing in the face of ever-increasing fire risks is unacceptable. We have to harden our reservoirs, add shutoff valves to isolate compromised part of the District’s system and be part of the first responder team when a fire starts, not be shut out of the process by the fire department and the county. 

• I am committed to enforcing rate discipline and generation equity at CVWD. The District’s proposed rate increases must be justified line by line, in public, against a published capital plan – not adopted as a percentage and explained later. I support the use of long-term bonds to spread out the repayment cost of 75-year-old water mains and pipelines so that today’s customers are not paying for the bulk of the costs for pipeline replacement that mostly benefit future customers years into the future.
• I am committed to ensuring water supply reliability and quality. I support and advocate for increasing the amount of water we can use from the local aquifer in our District and for treating that water to meet health and safety standards. CVWD not only continues to see legacy contaminants like nitrates and PCE in our water supply but is also increasingly impacted by PFAs, also known as “forever chemicals,” a family of chemicals that does not break down in the environment and are being detected and regulated in growing numbers.