The judgment in Las Posas Valley Water Rights Coalition, et al. v. Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency, Santa Barbara Sup. Ct. Case No. VENC100509700 (LPV Judgment), requires stakeholder constituency groups to hold initial organizational meetings for the election of member-representatives to a Policy Advisory Committee and then the appointment of members to a Technical Advisory Committee.

Policy and Technical Advisory Committees

The LPV Judgment requires the formation of two advisory committees, a Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) and a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which will provide policy and technical advice and perspectives on Basin Management Actions. 

The PAC will consist of 11 members: (1) a Zone Mutual Water Company representative; (2) a Ventura County Waterworks Districts Nos. 1 and 19 representative; (3) a Calleguas Municipal Water District representative; (4) a commercial constituency group representative; (5) a non-voting Las Posas Valley Watermaster (Watermaster) representative; (6) a large agricultural (more than 250 AFY allocation basis) representative from the West Las Posas Management Area; (7) a small agricultural representative from the West Las Posas Management Area; (8) a mutual water company representative from the West Las Posas Management Area; a (9) a large agricultural (more than 250 AFY allocation basis) representative from the East Las Posas Management Area; (10) a small agricultural representative from the East Las Posas Management Area; and (11) a mutual water company representative from the East Las Posas Management Area. 

Once formed, the PAC will appoint members to the TAC.  The TAC will consist of three voting members: (1) a TAC Administrator appointed by all members of the PAC; (2) a representative appointed by consistency groups in the East Las Posas Management Area; and (3) a representative appointed by constituency groups in the West Las Posas Management Area.  All voting TAC members must be a licensed geologist or registered engineer with at least 10 years of technical experience relevant to Basin Management Actions.  PAC members may also appoint non-voting members to the TAC.

PAC members will not be compensated by the Watermaster for their activities or attendance at meetings.  The three voting members of the TAC shall be paid their consulting fees out of Basin Assessments. 

For more information regarding advisory committees, please see Section 6 of the LPV Judgment.

Initial Organizational Meetings

The LPV Judgment requires the Watermaster to designate WMIDs in one or more stakeholder constituency groups and then schedule initial organizational meetings for each group to elect a PAC representative.  The Watermaster has prepared a Constituency Groups Designation List, which designates the WMIDs in each constituency group.  Initial organizational meetings for each constituency group have been scheduled for the election of PAC representatives.  Per the LPV Judgment, notice of the different initial organizational meetings has been provided only to the parties/landowners/designee(s) in each constituency group.

For more information on initial organizational meetings, including meeting conduct and voting/election procedures and requirements, please see Section 3 of the Watermaster Rules (Exhibit A) to the LPV Judgment.