DIABLO GRANDE— “I am pleased by the announcement that a Letter of Intent (LOI) was secured for a long-term agreement between the Kern County Water Agency and the Western Hills Water District yesterday.
The community of Diablo Grande was placed in an untenable financial and water supply situation through no fault of its own. Yesterday’s agreement secures a reasonable and realistic path to a reliable long-term water supply for Diablo Grande. It is a major step forward toward a permanent solution to what has become a very serious and ongoing problem. This LOI represents a forward-thinking, hard-fought compromise. It makes the Kern County Water Agency whole while ensuring that the families who live in Diablo Grande can finally rest easy, knowing their homes are protected by a secure, long-term water supply.
I want to commend the Kern County Water Agency Board and the Western Hills Water District Board for coming to reasonable terms and giving my constituents in Diablo Grande their first real piece of stability and security on this issue in years.
I also want to thank Stanislaus County Supervisor Channce Condit and State Assembly Member Stan Ellis for their partnership with me on this issue. Both have been key advocates alongside me throughout this process. I especially want to recognize the tireless efforts of Western Hills Water District President Mark Kovich, who has worked relentlessly on behalf of his ratepayers and our mutual constituents to reach this hard-fought LOI.
This is a good compromise in which everyone comes away with a win. I will be watching local leaders closely as this moves forward, and I expect and hope that in all matters concerning Diablo Grande, no one takes any action that may harm this community any further. The people of this community deserve relief and security. They do not deserve further hardship. I implore all stakeholders to continue to remember that there are people and families at stake here, and their homes are at risk. Solving problems, not creating them, needs to remain the focus of local leaders moving forward.”
Assemblymember Juan Alanis represents the 22nd Assembly District, which includes the communities of Modesto, Turlock, Ceres, Denair, Patterson, Gustine, Newman, Hilmar, Ballico, Snelling, Keyes, Grayson, Crows Landing, Diablo Grande, Stevinson, & Empire.
