EYE ON SC
Council Approves Water Conservation Measures
limiting the time residents could water their yards, from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., and would prohibit watering within 48 hours of measurable rain. If passed, it would also require home and property owners to repair water leaks within five calendar days, regardless of shortage conditions, and bar watering on turf on medians with potable water, among other changes. “(The changes) do mostly revolve around those permanent water waste restrictions that are valid year-round regardless of shortage level,” Beach said during her presentation to the council. “Some of them are just to be more consistent with other local water agencies.” Adjusting the time frame for repairing leaks was meant to help water customers, as they previously had only 72 hours to do repairs. According to the staff report, the city expects these actions, including a public information campaign, to contribute in various ways to reducing the water shortage. The rate modifications, which could do the most to reduce the short-
age, are intended to offset revenue and incentivize conservation. Those at even-numbered residential addresses must irrigate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from March through November and on Mondays in the winter. For those residing on odd-number addresses, they must irrigate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and Saturdays in the winter. As for commercial and irrigation accounts, they’ll irrigate on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays, and on Thursdays in the winter. “Our customers may remember these days from the last drought when we last were in the Level 2 Water Alert,” said Beach. “We kept them the same to keep it consistent for our customers and also because they did such a great job during the last drought, helping us cut back by really honing in on their irrigation and using an appropriate amount of water throughout the week.” When asked by Mayor Gene James to clarify the number of days San Clemente would have enough water to survive in
case the city was cut off because of a natural disaster or similar event, Dave Rebensdorf, utilities director, answered with roughly 23 at the current rate of consumption. “If our customers are reducing their water rate use, then that’s extended out, but in the summertime our customers are going to be using more water than they would under just an average scenario,” said Rebensdorf. Customers are advised to limit landscape irrigation however possible, but Beach also confirmed that the Municipal Water District of Orange County’s turf removal program is ongoing. Regarding water options, Rebensdorf said the city has an “aggressive program,” given that more than 50% of customer demand on irrigation comes from recycled water, and that the utilities department is looking to expand. An additional 10% of customers could be converted to recycled water soon. City staff will also research the possibility of joining the South Coast Water District in developing a desalination plant near Doheny State Beach through a feasibility study and other methods. Positives the Doheny plant would potentially present in comparison to the Carlsbad Desalination Plant, according to Rebensdorf, include a more environmental process and lower cost of water. The city’s efforts to reduce water usage will not apply to non-customers, however. “The customers that live within South Coast Water District and Santa Margarita Water District service areas, they will follow whatever requirements are in level to those water districts,” said Rebensdorf. City Manager Erik Sund said the city will soon include flyers in water bills going forward to notify customers of the changes. The ordinance will next move to a second reading for formal adoption, likely to occur at the council’s June 21 meeting.
Voters to Decide Whether City Clerk, Treasurer Should be Elected or Council-Appointed
operating under the city manager’s authority posed a potential conflict of interest. According to the city’s organizational chart, the city clerk, currently an elected position, works under the city manager. Knoblock claimed that position structure was “an inherent conflict,” and questioned whether it promoted loyalty to the citizens or “the man who pays the paycheck.” “I agendized that issue; the mayor suggested that he could support talking about that issue if we also talked about the possibility of potentially having an election to decide what we’re going to do,” said Knoblock, who added that he felt blindsided by the ballot measure proposals before the council. Regarding the ballot measures, Ward cited concerns over possibly removing
the voters’ ability to choose the city clerk and treasurer positions, as well as removing the clerk’s office from underneath the city manager’s control. She also pointed to San Clemente using the city manager model since its founding in 1928 as a sign of the model’s efficacy. “How can we get a good city clerk if … the people vote for it to come to us?” asked Ward. “If we separate the position … and take it out of (the city manager model), our city clerk would only be making, I think it’s $500 a month.” After receiving confirmation on the pay from City Clerk Joanne Baade, Ward referenced conversations she had with other city clerks who gave the consensus opinion that the city would not find a (Cont. on page 5)
BY C. JAYDEN SMITH
In accordance with local and statewide entities acting to combat a drought emergency, San Clemente City Council last week introduced an update to the city’s Water Conservation Ordinance (WCO) and adopted a resolution declaring a Water Shortage Level 2 Water Alert. With the unanimous vote at the June 7 meeting, councilmembers also directed staff to expand the city’s public information campaign, implement surcharges on potable water, limit landscape irrigation around the city, and increase water waste patrols. Under these new measures, San Clemente’s water customers can expect to see a monthly increase of about $4 to their bills, accounting for an additional variable rate surcharge of $0.30 per cubic centric foot and a fixed rate surcharge of $0.74 per meter equivalent. The ordinance, which looks to repeal and replace the current WCO, is intended to achieve consistency with the 2020 Water Shortage Contingency Plan the council adopted in June 2021, and to include additional permanent water waste restrictions adopted in January by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), according to Water Conservation analyst Niki Beach. Following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide drought emergency declaration last October, and the SWRCB adopting emergency conservation regulations on May 24, San Clemente was required to implement demand-reduction actions. However, the city’s report did not identify a potential water shortage in Fiscal Year 2022-2023. The potential changes to the WCO would shorten the irrigation period,
Jesus Pelayo, the course superintendent at Shorecliffs Golf Club in San Clemente back in 2015, waters a green. Photo: File/Eric Heinz
BY C. JAYDEN SMITH
San Clemente residents voting in the General Election this November will notice two ballot measures for which they will choose how candidates can assume the offices of City Clerk and City Treasurer. The City Council voted, 3-1, on June 7 to add the measures that will ask whether the positions should be appointed by the council or elected by the public. Additionally, Mayor Pro Tem Chris Duncan and Councilmember Kathy Ward will form a new subcommittee tasked with drafting arguments in favor of the council appointing the positions. San Clemente Times June 16-22, 2022
Councilmember Laura Ferguson was absent from the meeting. The vote comes months after the council initially opted not to add the ballot measures to the upcoming election, and follows the early-May meeting in which the council formally called for the General Municipal Election in November. Councilmember Steve Knoblock, the lone vote against the resolutions that established the ballot measures, had asked the rest of the council late last month to take up a discussion regarding a concern of his—whether the position of the city clerk Page 4
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