Will you be able to reverse the water rate increases, as it seems they are tied to city salaries/pensions rather than increases in the cost of water?

I understand the concern, and I share the goal of bringing Poway's water rates down. But I don't want to promise something I cannot legally or financially deliver before I have reviewed the numbers.

Poway's water system is an enterprise operation, and the City states that water and sewer revenues are used to recover the costs of providing those services, maintaining the system and funding capital improvements. Poway also purchases nearly 100% of its water from the San Diego County Water Authority, and the City has stated that purchased water represents a significant portion of its water-system operating costs.

That said, I believe the right question is: Are Poway residents paying only what is necessary to provide safe, reliable water, or are water customers carrying costs that could be reduced?

As a Councilmember, I would take a hard look at the water enterprise from the bottom up. I would want to see exactly where every dollar of the water rate goes—including personnel costs, benefits, pensions, administrative overhead, debt service, reserves, infrastructure, energy and the cost of purchasing water.

I would also want to separate costs that are truly necessary to operate the water system from costs that could reasonably be reduced, deferred or funded elsewhere.

If the analysis shows that rates can be reduced without compromising water reliability, infrastructure or legally required reserves, I would support reducing them. If a cost is necessary, I will explain why rather than simply blaming it on someone else.

I also would not support using water-rate revenue as a hidden source of funding for unrelated City expenses. Residents who pay for water should know that their money is being used to provide water service.

So my answer is: Yes, I would work to reduce Poway's water rates where the numbers justify it—but I will not make an empty promise to simply reverse rates that are required to cover legitimate water-system costs.

My commitment would be to bring transparency, fiscal discipline and accountability to the water enterprise and to make sure Poway residents are paying a fair and defensible rate—not a penny more than is necessary.

I won't accept the assumption that every increase is necessary simply because the City says it is. Before asking residents for another dollar, I want an independent review of the water enterprise, including salaries, benefits, pension costs, administrative overhead, reserves, debt and wholesale water costs.

Here is part of the problem.  Poway's newly approved 2026–2030 rates include annual increases through 2030. For a 5/8-inch meter, the fixed bimonthly charge goes from $81.54 in 2026 to $95.41 in 2030, while the treated-water commodity rate goes from $8.21 to $9.62 per unit.

So….bottom line. I will not promise “I will reverse the increases.” I do promise “I will conduct a hard, transparent review and reduce rates wherever the City's actual cost structure allows.”