Santa Clara Valley Water District.

Existing law, the Santa Clara Valley Water District Act, creates the Santa Clara Valley Water District and authorizes the district to provide for the conservation and management of flood, storm, and recycled waters, and other waters, for beneficial uses and to enhance natural resources in connection with carrying out the purposes of the district. The district act authorizes the district to impose special taxes at minimum rates according to land use category and size. The district act authorizes the district to provide an exemption from these taxes for residential parcels owned and occupied by one or more taxpayers who are at least 65 years of age, or who qualify as totally disabled, if the household income is less than an amount approved by the voters of the district. This bill would authorize the district to require a taxpayer seeking an exemption from these special taxes to verify his or her age, disability status, or household income, as prescribed. The district act requires the board of directors to adopt a resolution that divides the district into 7 electoral districts and requires one director to be elected by the voters of each electoral district, as prescribed. The district act requires a candidate for the board of directors to be a resident in the electoral district for which he or she is a candidate and to continue to reside within the electoral district during his or her term of office. The district act requires a vacancy in the office of any director to be filled, as specified. This bill would require any director appointed or elected to fill a vacancy to represent the electoral district in which the vacancy occurred and to be a qualified elector residing in the electoral district in which the vacancy occurred. Existing law provides for the compensation of members of a board of directors of a water district, as defined, by the adoption of an ordinance by the governing board of the water district, as specified. Existing law prohibits an ordinance from authorizing compensation for more than a total of 10 days in any calendar month. This bill, until December 31, 2023, would instead prohibit an ordinance adopted by the board of directors of the Santa Clara Valley Water District to provide compensation to a director from authorizing compensation for more than a total of 15 days in any calendar month. The bill would require the board of directors to annually adopt a written policy describing why more than 10 meetings per month are necessary for the effective operation of the district if the district compensates its members for more than 10 meetings in a calendar month.