I attend the Santa Ynez ID 1 Water District meetings regularly. For a small valley water district with agriculture, tourism, and residential interests, the water district and the customers it serves have engaged in many costly water wars.
Again, we are facing into costly legal battles on who may run for office on the ID 1 Board. Last week, Joe Holland, Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters, opined that issues in dispute between ID 1 and the candidates must be decided after the election.
Unfortunately, this latest dispute most likely will cost the ratepayers of ID 1 thousands of dollars in additional litigation costs. Resolving the issue will become a Full Employment Act for the attorneys, and as always, the ratepayers will get an increase in their water rates.