Lea este artículo en español aquí.
With one LAFCO commissioner describing it as “putting the cart before the horse,” Executive Director Jennifer Stephenson gave a presentation before the five-member LAFCO board on Oct. 8 about the Sunnyslope County Water District’s proposed annexation of the Tres Pinos Water District.
The problem is that, according to alternate commissioner Barry Katz of Aromas, who was filling in for public member Lynn Mello, the $17.5 million pipeline being built to link Tres Pinos, the Stonegate neighborhood, and a smattering of empty lots to a well in Ridgemark is supposed to be completed in December, but it was started without first received LAFCO approval.
Stephenson said the purpose of the annexation is to provide reliable drinking water and fire protection to the current residents of Tres Pinos and Stonegate.
The sole function of LAFCO—which stands for Local Agency Formation Commision—is to regulate and plan local government boundaries and services. State law empowers LAFCO to enforce its authority through final, binding decisions on boundary changes, service extensions and spheres of influence.
All city and special‑district boundary changes require LAFCO authorization. This includes annexations, detachments, formations, dissolutions, and reorganizations.
Stephenson told the commissioners that LAFCO received an application from Sunnyslope County Water District in August for the annexation. She said LAFCO is still processing the application, including map verification and notification to the affected agencies.
“I will need to send out a public hearing notification 21 days prior to our November public hearing date,” she said. “And then following approval by the commission, a protest hearing will occur at least 30 days later.”
According to Stephenson, that will provide two opportunities for members of the public to come before the commission to provide input to the commission as part of the process, or as a part of the protest hearing.
“For that protest hearing, if we receive 25% of registered voters’ protest, then that means it will go to an election,” she said. “If we receive 50% protest from registered voters [within the annexed areas], that means that the application is dead.”
After Stephenson’s presentation, Sunnyslope County Water District General Manager Drew Lander said the annexation and pipeline project originally came about after the state Department of Drinking Water created the Drought Resiliency Fund in 2023 and the county applied for a grant.
By his questions, it was clear that Katz was not familiar with the project, including the fact that six miles of pipeline were being laid in the ground and the project is expected to be completed by December.
“I’m a little confused why that’s already happening before it’s been approved,” Katz told Lander, who said the project had essentially been approved by members of the public during meetings in the affected communities, and by acquiring the grant.
“I don’t anticipate any significant response to that because at the public hearings held in Tres Pinos, as well as public meetings held in Stonegate, everyone is saying this is what we want,” Lander said.
There was some opposition to the proposed annexation during community meetings.
“But what happens to that pipeline and the expense that went into it if it’s not approved?” Katz asked.
“It wouldn’t be used,” Lander said. “Basically, the state would ask for their money back.”
“In a way, it’s like we’re being bribed,” Katz said. “You’re telling people if they don’t approve it, we’re out of this money and we have nothing to show, which is the truth. I think you’re saying that the chances in your favor are very strong, so that’s why you went ahead and started.”
“The truth of the matter is, the grant funds did not become available until 2025,” Lander said. “They gave us essentially a year and a half to execute the project. So, it was at that time that we made sure everyone in the community was happy with the intent of the project and then it had to be executed.”
“That seems a little odd,” Katz said.
“I don’t disagree,” Lander said. “But I can say (of) the projects that California has funded, we’re one of the few that will complete it.”
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website covering San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and to providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. Producing local news is expensive, and community support keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service nonprofit news.
You must be logged in to post a comment.