Scotts Valley Water District
Four candidates are vying for three director positions on the Scotts Valley Water District.
The candidates for this race filled out surveys answering the same set of questions. We are publishing their answers directly as submitted, only edited for clarity.
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Meet the candidates • On the issues • About the water district
Meet the candidates
Bill Jager
Age: 73.
Occupation: Retired, Business Executive.
Political background: Former Scotts Valley representative on the county’s COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, and former Measure A oversight committee member.
Brody Knutson
Age: 41.
Occupation: Water Operations Manager.
Political background: Has more than a decade of experience in varying roles with the water district, including in customer service and engineering.
Ruth Stiles (incumbent)
Age: 69.
Occupation: Consulting Arborist.
Political background: Served 10 years as a member of the Scotts Valley Water District Board of Directors, currently president.
Brian Youmans
Age: 30.
Occupation: Administrative Professional.
Political background: Scotts Valley Parks and Recreation Division, Membership Coordinator for the Democratic Club of Northern Santa Cruz County, Chair of SEIU 521’s Committee on Political Education.
Candidates on the issues
How will you improve the Scotts Valley Water District?
Improving the Scotts Valley Water District (SVWD) requires addressing three interconnected challenges: securing long-term water reliability in a groundwater-dependent basin, upgrading aging capital infrastructure, and keeping customer bills predictable and equitable.
Having worked at the District for nearly 10 years, I understand its water system, day-to-day operations and organizational structure very well. I also know that the District already has a strong operations team and is a well-run organization.
I want to build on the work of current and former District leadership. That means continuing to improve the reliability of our water supply, expanding recycled water where it makes sense, and pursuing regional projects that allow water agencies to share resources when conditions allow. I would bring an operations perspective to the Board and focus on practical projects that improve reliability and provide long-term value to customers.
With our careful management, I believe that the SVWD is on the right track. It is important to continually evaluate our programs and priorities to keep it going in the right direction.
Follow up: During your time as President of the SVWD, what issue have you primarily focused on and why?
Running a public agency requires one to focus on many things at once. Finance, customer service, sustainability, infrastructure, and planning for the future are all important. But the issue closest to my heart is sustainability. In a changing world with a growing population, we need to know how we will meet the future demand for water.
One of the projects I have focused on is the new Intertie pipeline that will connect Santa Cruz’s water system with Scotts Valley’s. It is nearing completion and will be operational this fall. This will allow us to rest our wells in winter when Santa Cruz has more water than it needs. Gradually, our aquifer will be able to recover from past over-pumping.
This project, plus our new Grace Way Well, was mostly funded with a ten-million-dollar grant. Thus, ratepayers are only paying for a small portion of this project.
I am proud to have improved our district’s long-term sustainability with this project.
My goal is to continue making that information understandable and accessible.
My experience working in local government has taught me that good public service comes down to responsible stewardship, clear communication, and being accountable to the community.
Water is one of the most important services a local government provides, but most of us don’t think much about our water system until something goes wrong or our bill changes. I want the Water District to be an organization that residents can easily understand and engage with.
As a Director, I would work to make it easier for residents to see where their money is going, understand the projects being planned, and learn about the challenges and opportunities facing our water system. Just as importantly, I want residents to understand how the decisions we make today can affect Scotts Valley years down the road.
What are the major issues you’re focusing on in your campaign?
- Groundwater Sustainability & Aquifer Protection.
- Infrastructure Upgrades & Water Quality Protection.
- Rate Transparency & Fiscal Responsibility.
- Regional Interties & Emergency Resilience.
My main priorities are managing high water pressure, increasing water storage for fire protection and emergencies, and ensuring a reliable long-term water supply.
Parts of Scotts Valley’s water system operate at very high pressure because of our terrain. That can put additional stress on both the District’s infrastructure and customers’ home plumbing. I would like to see continued investment in pressure management in the areas where it will provide the greatest benefit.
I also want to see the District continue working toward additional water storage and a more reliable water supply through recycled water and partnerships with neighboring water agencies. Working together to make the best use of different water sources will help us prepare for droughts, emergencies and changing conditions.
Experience matters! There is a huge learning curve to become an effective director of a water district. It is a complex field that requires a knowledge of hydrology, geology, engineering, finance, and government administration. My experience makes me very effective in this role.
I want residents to feel confident today that we are doing the work to make sure reliable water is there for tomorrow.
Scotts Valley’s water system is at an important point in its future. With significant housing development and additional growth being planned, we need to understand how future population and water demand will affect our system while continuing to maintain the infrastructure we already depend on.
That means continuing investments such as the Grace Way Well and the Santa Cruz intertie, which will provide greater regional water-supply resilience and improve fire-flow capacity. It also means staying ahead of infrastructure maintenance like the Bethany Tank replacement and pump-station improvements.
What is one thing you want voters to understand about the SVWD?
Unlike many California communities that import water from distant state reservoirs, rivers, or snowpack, 100% of Scotts Valley’s drinking water comes from right beneath our feet in the local Santa Margarita Groundwater Basin.
Every drop of water used in Scotts Valley is drawn locally, managed locally, and protected locally.
I want voters to understand that SVWD is already a very well-run organization. From the Board and District leadership to the administrative and operations staff, there are experienced people throughout the organization who care about providing reliable water service to this community.
Having worked in local water utilities for many years, I have seen what it takes to operate a water system well. My goal is not to change what is working, but to help the District continue moving forward while bringing my own hands-on operations experience to the Board.
Water agencies provide water to the community; we are not allowed by law to make land use decisions. Decisions about new construction and development are made by the cities and the County only.
I think that’s something worth remembering: protecting our water isn’t something we have to do alone.
I want residents to understand that our water system is part of something much bigger than the pipes and wells here in Scotts Valley. As mentioned before, water is one of the most important services a local government provides, but most of us don’t think about it until something goes wrong or our bill changes.
Our water future is something we share with our neighbors. The Scotts Valley Water District works with other agencies through the Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency to responsibly manage that shared resource. The Santa Cruz Intertie is another important example of regional cooperation, helping create greater water-supply resilience and improve fire protection across our communities.Working together with our neighboring communities and water agencies gives us more tools to prepare for the future.
How will you ensure the district has enough water supply?
- Implement the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP): Work closely with the Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency (SMGWA) to ensure long-term balance in the basin.
- Enhance Aquifer Recharge: Expand Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR).
- Expand Recycled Water Capabilities.
- Evaluate Advanced Water Purification (Purified Potable Reuse).
A reliable water supply starts with making the best use of the water we already have. I personally oversaw the District’s installation of smart water meters and worked in the field installing many of them myself. These meters give the District and customers much better information about water use and can help identify leaks sooner. Continuing to find and reduce water loss is an important part of protecting our existing supply.
We also need to maintain our partnership with the City of Scotts Valley on recycled water. The City produces recycled water and the District distributes it for uses such as landscape irrigation, reducing the amount of drinking water we use for irrigation.
Finally, we need to continue working with neighboring water agencies to make better use of our regional water supplies. SVWD relies on groundwater for its drinking water, so partnerships that allow agencies to share available water when conditions allow can make our water supply more reliable and help us prepare for droughts and emergencies.
Currently the water level in our aquifer is basically stable. Our plans focus on keeping the water level stable or rising as the population increases and the climate changes.
The new intertie pipeline with the City of Santa Cruz is an important part of our plans. Reducing our pumping in winter will greatly benefit our aquifer.
I am a founding member of the Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency. We have developed an exhaustive Groundwater Sustainability Plan to keep the aquifer in balance for the next twenty years. We have detailed a series of projects and management actions that we can implement if needed.
With wise management we will have the water we need for the future.
Ensuring the district has enough water for the future starts with making smart investments today. Water supply is about having the wells, storage, pumps, and pipelines needed to produce, store, and deliver that water reliably.
The Grace Way Well will increase the District’s production capacity, while projects such as the Bethany Tank replacement will strengthen our storage capacity. Continued improvements to pump stations and water mains will also help ensure that we can effectively move water throughout the system.
At the same time, we need to look at the bigger picture. SVWD relies on the Santa Margarita Groundwater Basin, a shared resource that requires responsible regional management. The Santa Margarita Groundwater Agency provides a framework for understanding groundwater conditions and planning for future demand, including the effects of growth and development.
I believe the best way to protect Scotts Valley’s water future is to plan ahead, invest wisely, and work together. If we’re good stewards of our shared resources today, we can give people confidence that they’ll have reliable water for many years to come.
What additional experience do you have that you want voters to know?
- No political background.
- Relevant experience is hands on sales, operations, engineering and technical development for purification of ground well water.
- 35 years in Global Executive Management and Engineering.
My background is in water, not politics. I spent nearly 10 years with Scotts Valley Water District in roles ranging from customer service to engineering. That gave me experience across many sides of the District, from working directly with customers to understanding the infrastructure and technical work required to deliver reliable water service.
Today, I work as a Water Operations Manager for a local water system, overseeing its day-to-day operations and reliability. I hold California Grade 2 Water Distribution and Grade 2 Water Treatment Operator certifications. I am also a certified Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester and Cross-Connection Control Specialist.
That combination of customer service, field work, engineering and water system management is the perspective I would bring to the Board.
I have served 10 years as a member of the Scotts Valley Water District Board of Directors. This has given me the knowledge and experience to be an effective leader.
I’ve attended countless seminars and many conferences; that knowledge coupled with the process of developing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan has brought my water education to a high level.
My background is rooted in public service. I work in the City of Scotts Valley’s Parks and Recreation Division, where I’ve gained firsthand experience working in local government and seeing how public agencies serve residents, manage resources, and respond to the needs of the community.
Outside of my professional work, I’ve been active in several local civic organizations. I currently serve as Membership Coordinator for the Democratic Club of Northern Santa Cruz County, where I help connect residents with opportunities to participate in local civic and political life. I serve as Chair of SEIU 521’s Committee on Political Education (COPE), which has given me experience working with public employees and advocating for working families across the county. I have also served as an Ambassador for the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce, volunteering my time to support and promote our local business community.
Across all of these roles, I’ve had the opportunity to work with people from different backgrounds and perspectives, listen to residents, and learn more about the issues affecting our community.
For me, public service has always been about being involved and finding ways to make our community a little better than I found it.
About the water district
Scotts Valley Water District serves about 10,700 people through 4,200 service connections, and was established in 1961. The District is located six miles north of the City of Santa Cruz and covers around six square miles, including most of the City of Scotts Valley and a portion of the unincorporated area north of the City. It generally follows the boundary of the City of Scotts Valley, although it is managed separately.