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Board appoints outside counsel and establishes separate construction‑deposit account; GSA accepts DWR recommendations for future GSP updates
Summary
Directors approved separate checking for construction deposits and appointed Dina Joy Freenezza as general counsel with Steven/Steve Lee as alternate for both the Groundwater Sustainability Agency and the District; staff summarized Department of Water Resources recommendations on the GSP and next steps for data gaps and updates.
At the joint meeting, the board handled several administrative items and recorded votes.
Appointment of general counsel (GSA and District): The board discussed replacing prior general counsel Carrie Anne Potts — who took extended leave and did not return — and considered appointing Dina Joy Freenezza of Myers, Withers, Gibson, Jones & Feingold LLP as general counsel with Steven/Steve Lee as alternate. Freenezza said she is a junior associate who would attend regular meetings while partner Steven/Steve Lee would provide oversight. Directors asked about term length and experience; staff recommended a one‑year contract with evaluation at the end of the year. The board passed motions to appoint counsel (motions reported as passing with roll‑call tallies reported as 3‑1‑1 in the transcript for both the GSA and the District appointments).
Resolution establishing a separate construction‑deposit account: Norma (accounting) recommended a new dedicated checking account for customer deposits to avoid mingling those deposits with the district’s general operating account. She said the district holds about $640,000 in deposits as of March 11. The board adopted Resolution No. 116 to authorize the account; roll call recorded the motion as passing (reported as 4‑1 in the minutes).
Department of Water Resources (DWR) review of the GSP: Staff reported that DWR approved the district’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan in February 2024 with recommendations. DWR’s items include: better quantification of sustainable management criteria (SMCs) and the impacts of threshold exceedances (for example, how many dry wells would occur), clearer seawater intrusion SMCs with quantitative impacts, inclusion and quantification of water‑quality SMCs even where the district cannot directly manage geologic water‑quality issues, combined exceedance analysis across SMCs, and a measurable objective and monitoring network for subsidence rather than relying solely on InSAR. Staff said the next formal GSP review is in 2029 but that the district will work on closing data gaps and incorporate recommended clarifications earlier via annual reporting and updates.
No reportable action from closed session: The board entered closed session on personnel, labor negotiations and existing litigation (Central Coast Water Authority v. Santa Barbara County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, case no. 21CV02432), and returned with no reportable action.
The board recorded next meeting dates and adjourned.
