CSA-11 Subcommittee Meeting Minutes July 21, 2026
Video Recording
07.21.2026 CSA 11 Subcommittee Special Meeting Minutes
Location: LHPUSD Boardroom and Zoom 6pm
Subcommittee Members in Attendance: Cullen Rose (Chair), Nicholas Erridge (Secretary), Catherine Perry (At Large)
Absent: None
Quorum Achieved: Yes
Virtual Attendance: 2
People in Attendance: 5
Interpretation Services (Spanish/English): Present
Key Takeaways
The meeting served as a working session for the PMAC subcommittee to finalize outreach materials, plan the September 1st community meeting, and discuss the recruitment process for the proposed CSA 11 Advisory Committee.
A Google Form (in English and Spanish) was reviewed and refined to gauge community interest in serving on the CSA 11 Advisory Committee.
The talking points document was reviewed; minor edits were identified and will be sent to Nicholas and Tory for review.
Catherine presented a draft history of CSA 11, which will be converted into a PowerPoint presentation and a timeline handout for the September 1st meeting.
The September 1st community meeting is planned as an informal, 60-minute educational and social event with food, a brief history presentation, Q&A, and survey distribution.
A follow-up working meeting was scheduled for August 4th at 6:00 PM.
Key concerns were raised about low community engagement and the need for proactive outreach, including door-to-door canvassing.
Discussed Topics
1. Meeting Purpose and Format
The chair called the meeting to order and clarified its intent as a working session.
Details
PMAC: The meeting is intended to review action items from the June 30th meeting, refine outreach materials, plan the September 1st community meeting, and discuss the CSA 11 Advisory Committee recruitment timeline.
Conclusion
Consent agenda was approved; meeting proceeded as a working session.
3. Review and Refinement of the CSA 11 Advisory Committee Interest Form
The group reviewed a Google Form created by Cullen to collect interest from potential advisory committee members.
Details
PMAC: The form includes contact information fields, language preference questions, a self-identification question about community role, level of interest, open-ended questions about motivation and experience, and availability.
Catherine: Suggested the two language-related questions may be redundant and recommended consulting Kathy Talbot.
PMAC: Agreed to remove the first language preference question and retain the second, reworded to ask how comfortable the respondent is communicating in Spanish with others (i.e., acting as a liaison).
Rita: Confirmed the second question makes sense once context is provided, noting it could seem odd without explanation.
PMAC: Suggested rewording to "How comfortable are you sharing information in Spanish?" to clarify the intent.
PMAC: Agreed to remove the school district employee option from the self-identification question, as that seat will be filled through a separate process involving the school district board, Nicholas Calderon, and Michelle Ross.
PMAC: Discussed the "technical professional" option as a nice-to-have for the at-large seat, not a requirement.
Catherine: Suggested the availability questions could be removed from the form and addressed during follow-up interviews instead.
PMAC: Agreed to remove the community priorities question (deemed premature) and the availability section, retaining approximately 7 core questions.
PMAC: Noted that paper copies should be available at the event in addition to a QR code, and potentially a laptop.
Catherine: Recommended adding guidance such as "in one to three sentences" for open-ended questions to equalize responses.
PMAC: Confirmed that selecting "not interested" auto-submits the form, skipping remaining questions.
Conclusion
Remove the first language preference question; reword the second to focus on comfort communicating in Spanish with the community.
Remove the school district employee self-identification option.
Remove the availability and community priorities questions; retain approximately 7 questions.
Add sentence-count guidance to open-ended questions.
Provide both QR code and paper versions at the September 1st event.
4. Review of Talking Points Document
The group reviewed a talking points document outlining the shared goal, committee structure, and call to action.
Details
PMAC: Read through the document aloud; it covers the shared goal of establishing a CSA 11 Advisory Committee, what the committee will achieve, how it will be built, who can serve, and a call to action.
PMAC: Noted the two-year commitment and quarterly meeting language should be revised; suggested replacing with "potential multi-year commitment with meetings every one to two months, to be determined by the committee's bylaws."
PMAC: Agreed to change "five individuals" to "five to seven individuals" to allow flexibility and ensure an odd number for voting purposes.
PMAC: Suggested adding "Pescadero" before "at-large community member" to clarify geographic scope.
PMAC: Noted that residential ratepayers and property owners should be listed as two separate seats.
PMAC: Confirmed the document will be sent to Nicholas and Tory for review after the meeting.
Conclusion
Revise commitment language to reflect one-to-two-month meeting frequency and multi-year term, subject to bylaws.
Change committee size to five to seven members.
Specify "Pescadero community member" for the at-large seat.
Separate residential ratepayers and property owners into distinct seats.
Send final version to Nicholas and Tory for review.
5. Community Engagement and Recruitment Concerns
BJ raised concerns about historically low turnout at CSA 11 meetings and the challenge of recruiting committee members.
Details
BJ: Based on past CSA 11 meetings, attendance has been very low — typically five to six of the same people — and expressed skepticism about getting strong participation or sign-ups.
Catherine: Suggested that offering food, framing the event as a dialogue rather than a county presentation, and emphasizing community agency would improve turnout.
PMAC: Acknowledged the timeline pressure; the advisory committee needs to be formed as soon as possible to address the ongoing financial deficit.
PMAC: Proposed that if interest is low, door-to-door canvassing would be the fallback strategy, as it has been effective in the past.
PMAC: Suggested that if only three members can be recruited initially, the committee could start with three and continue outreach to grow.
BJ: Recommended submitting a Public Records Act (PRA) request to understand the current state of CSA 11 before a new board takes over.
PMAC: Agreed a PRA will eventually be necessary but cautioned against leading with past grievances; the advisory committee should approach the county with openness and a forward-looking mindset.
PMAC: Noted that Nicholas Calderon has committed to sharing all documents with the advisory committee once formed, and that a new DPW director represents a fresh start.
Conclusion
Food, dialogue format, and community agency messaging are key to improving turnout.
Door-to-door canvassing will be used as a fallback if September 1st interest is low.
The committee can start with as few as three members and grow over time.
A PRA will be pursued by the advisory committee as needed; the group will approach the county collaboratively rather than in an adversarial manner.
6. September 1st Community Meeting Structure
The group discussed the format, goals, and logistics of the September 1st kickoff meeting.
Details
PMAC: Proposed a 60-minute informal meeting in the boardroom at 6:00 PM, including a brief welcome, Catherine's history presentation, Q&A, survey distribution, and social mingling with food.
Catherine: Confirmed the county will not be invited to present, to avoid derailing the meeting with unresolved grievances.
PMAC: Suggested reaching out to Heather (president of the CSA 7 Advisory Committee) for two slides on how CSA 7 operates — how they are empowered, how they interact with the county, and how decisions are made — to serve as a model.
PMAC: Proposed that the last slide of the presentation include the QR code for the interest form, allowing people to fill it out during the social portion.
Catherine: Suggested placing index cards and markers on tables so attendees can write questions or priorities for the committee, even if they are not interested in serving.
PMAC: Agreed this would be a good interactive element and a way to keep people engaged after the presentation.
PMAC: Emphasized that the key takeaway for attendees should be urgency (the rate increase problem is real) and agency (they can do something about it).
Irma: Confirmed she will coordinate food for the event.
PMAC: Noted the meeting is a community event, not an official PMAC subcommittee meeting, so Brown Act requirements do not apply; however, it should be posted on the PMAC website.
Conclusion
September 1st meeting: 60 minutes, 6:00 PM, boardroom; informal community format.
County will not be present; focus is on community education and recruitment.
Heather will be contacted for CSA 7 reference slides.
Index cards will be placed on tables for attendee input.
Irma will manage food; Nick and Irma will collaborate on outreach.
Event will be posted on the PMAC website but does not require a formal agenda.
7. CSA 11 History Presentation Draft
Catherine walked through her draft history document covering the origins and challenges of CSA 11.
Details
Catherine: The history begins in the early 1960s when well tests revealed toxic contaminants, prompting action. Key milestones include the 1983 Todd Study, the 1992 installation of the CSA 11 well and pipes, the drilling of a second well under Supervisor Don Horsley, and the 2011 pipe contamination incident that introduced chlorine requirements.
Catherine: Noted that the water system does not meet commercial fire suppression requirements, a problem that has never been acknowledged or addressed by Public Works.
Catherine: Described the gradual erosion of transparency after Bracewell was hired as a licensed operator, and the difficulty in auditing transactions given that CSA 7 and CSA 11 share a fund.
Catherine: Summarized two failed rate increase attempts and the county's proposal to establish a CSA 11 Advisory Committee as a path forward.
PMAC: Noted a typo: “Gracewell" should be "Bracewell."
PMAC: Flagged that the reference to 47 wells could be confusing; clarified these are private wells drawing from the same aquifer, not CSA 11 wells. Suggested adding clarifying language.
PMAC: Suggested the history be converted into a PowerPoint with bullet points for the presentation, and a timeline-format handout for attendees to take home.
PMAC: Recommended ending the history presentation with a note that the protests were not against rate increases per se, but against the lack of transparency in how they were being imposed.
Conclusion
Catherine will convert the history document into a PowerPoint presentation and a timeline handout.
Clarify the 47-well reference to distinguish private wells from CSA 11 wells.
Fix the Bracewell typo.
Add closing bullets on open issues: lack of transparency, communication gaps, well health monitoring, and the purpose of the advisory committee.
8. Outreach and Distribution Plan
The group discussed how to distribute the flyer and invitation for the September 1st meeting.
Details
PMAC: The county will mail the invitation to ratepayers and property owners within the CSA 11 boundary via snail mail; Nic will coordinate with Tory on this.
PMAC: Noted that ratepayer and property owner address data may have inconsistencies in the county's GIS system.
Irma: Will create a small graphic flyer (like the merchants meeting flyer) based on the talking points, with a link to the full document on the PMAC website.
PMAC: Will develop a brief communication plan outlining all outreach channels.
Rita: Suggested obtaining a list of ratepayer names and phone numbers for direct outreach.
PMAC: Confirmed door-to-door canvassing may also be part of the outreach strategy.
Conclusion
Nic will coordinate with Tory to mail invitations to ratepayers and property owners.
Irma will create a graphic flyer; Nic and Irma will collaborate on outreach materials.
Nic will prepare a communication plan.
Door-to-door canvassing will be included in the outreach strategy.
9. Next Steps and Follow-Up Meeting Scheduling
The group aligned on deadlines and scheduled a follow-up working meeting.
Details
PMAC: Proposed a follow-up informal working meeting approximately two weeks out to review and finalize all materials before September 1st.
Catherine: Preferred earlier in August given her involvement with PAF.
PMAC: Confirmed August 4th at 6:00 PM in the same room; will send a meeting invite and secure the room.
Conclusion
Follow-up working meeting scheduled for August 4th at 6:00 PM.
Nic will send a calendar invite and secure the room.
Challenges
Low community engagement: Historical CSA 11 meetings have drawn very few attendees; recruiting five to seven committed advisory committee members may be difficult.
Data inconsistencies: Ratepayer and property owner address data in the county's GIS system contains errors, complicating targeted outreach.
Transparency and trust deficit: Years of limited communication from Public Works have created skepticism in the community; managing expectations and preventing the September 1st meeting from devolving into grievance airing is a key risk.
School district representation: The process for appointing a school district representative is separate and not yet resolved; it bypasses the standard PMAC recruitment process.
Timeline pressure: The advisory committee needs to be formed quickly to address the ongoing financial deficit, but outreach and recruitment take time.
Action Items
PMAC
Revise the CSA 11 Advisory Committee Interest Form: remove the first language preference question, reword the Spanish communication question, remove availability and community priorities questions, add sentence-count guidance to open-ended questions, and retain approximately 7 questions. (Before August 4th)
Finalize the talking points document with agreed edits (committee size, seat descriptions, commitment language) and send to Nicholas and Tory for review. (Before August 4th)
Develop a communication/outreach plan outlining all distribution channels for the September 1st meeting invitation. (Before August 4th)
Coordinate with Tory to arrange mailing of the September 1st meeting invitation to CSA 11 ratepayers and property owners. (Before September 1st)
Reach out to Heather (CSA 7 Advisory Committee president) to request two reference slides on how CSA 7 operates, including empowerment, county relationship, and decision-making process. (Before August 4th)
Send a calendar invite for the August 4th working meeting and secure the room. (Immediately)
Collaborate with Irma on outreach materials and food coordination for the September 1st event.
Catherine
Convert the CSA 11 history draft into a PowerPoint presentation with bullet points for the September 1st meeting. (Before August 4th)
Prepare a timeline-format handout version of the history for attendees to take home. (Before August 4th)
Clarify the 47-well reference in the history document to distinguish private wells from CSA 11 wells.
Fix the Bracewell typo in the history document.
Add closing bullets on open issues (transparency, communication, well health, purpose of advisory committee) to the history document.
Share updated drafts with the subcommittee as they are completed.
Irma
Coordinate food for the September 1st community meeting.
Create a small graphic flyer based on the talking points (similar to the merchants meeting flyer), with reference to the full document on the PMAC website. (Before September 1st)
Collaborate with Nic on outreach materials and distribution.
All subcommittee members
Attend the follow-up working meeting on August 4th at 6:00 PM to review and finalize all materials before September 1st.
