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Glendora council appoints Nadia Harajinata to Water Services Commission after candidate interviews
Summary
After interviewing five applicants at a special session, the Glendora City Council appointed Nadia Harajinata — a Metropolitan Water District program manager with 17 years’ water-sector experience — to the vacant Water Services Commission seat through a council ballot; the transcript records no public vote tally.
The Glendora City Council voted at a special meeting to appoint Nadia Harajinata to fill an unscheduled vacancy on the city’s Water Services Commission, selecting her from five applicants interviewed for office no. 3 (term expiring June 30, 2029).
The appointment was announced by the mayor after councilmembers completed a ballot-based selection. Deputy city clerk Roxan Brcida told the council that five qualified applicants had been scheduled and that applications would be retained on file for two years; the transcript records the clerk describing the ballot process but does not include a public tally of votes.
Harajinata, introduced to the council as a program manager at the Metropolitan Water District, summarized more than 17 years of experience working on capital projects including pipelines, wells, reservoirs and treatment facilities. She described recent work on groundwater-banking and federal grant programs and said those regional initiatives could produce incentives and funding opportunities for Glendora.
"We were able to secure about $82 million," Harajinata said, describing the federal grant funding she worked on in connection with groundwater projects. She told councilmembers she would monitor regional developments — including concerns raised during questioning about a threat described in the transcript as the "golden muscle" and possible changes to Colorado River deliveries — and would bring regional perspective back to the local advisory body.
The council questioned each applicant about local priorities during approximately 10-minute interviews. Applicants and councilmembers discussed aging underground pipes, frequent localized repairs, meter and billing issues, the need for clearer public messaging on conservation, and an upcoming high-profile underground storage/capital project at a city park that the transcript describes as a multimillion-dollar undertaking (applicants referenced an estimated cost in the vicinity of $25 million).
Tom Lambertson, who identified himself as a principal engineer in the City of Ontario utilities department, emphasized asset-management approaches. "Asset management is near and dear to my heart," Lambertson told the council, arguing that organized tracking of infrastructure condition and priorities helps set funding and maintenance schedules. He urged clear milestones and public messaging on large projects so residents see progress rather than only a long construction period.
Resident-applicant Eric Ferrar highlighted community outreach and volunteer experience with local groups and described observing multiple broken or aging pipe locations in his neighborhood. James Sullivan, a long-term Glendora resident and former healthcare project manager who recently retired, told councilmembers he supported improved social-media and public-information efforts to explain why work is happening and how projects relate to bills and service improvements.
Mayor David Frerieden opened the meeting, confirmed all council members were present and closed public comment after no members of the public asked to speak. Deputy city clerk Roxan Brcida explained the interview schedule and confirmed one applicant, Emily Hernandez, could not attend due to a family emergency; the clerk said her application would remain on file.
The council’s choice was announced immediately after the ballots were collected: "Congratulations, newly appointed Commissioner Nadia," the mayor said. The transcript does not record the names of the councilmembers who moved or seconded the appointment or a public vote tally. Councilmembers thanked all applicants and the clerk said the city would retain applications for two years for future openings.
The special session adjourned at 6:26 p.m.; the council planned to reconvene for its regular meeting at 7:00 p.m.
What happens next: Harajinata will take the advisory seat on the Water Services Commission for the remainder of the term ending June 30, 2029, and is expected to bring regional program knowledge and grant experience to local water-infrastructure and conservation planning.
