Jessica Deitchman

Transparency you can actually use

Ratepayers who come to board meetings with questions should leave with answers. I'll push for plain-language budget summaries, cost estimates posted before votes, and real responses to public comment.

• Board decisions on the Village yard have moved ahead over the objections of hundreds of residents.³
• Posting monthly reports isn't the same as explaining them. I'll make the District's finances readable for everyone.

Protect what we pay

The District touts the lowest water rates in the region. But most of your bill is the fixed service charge, and that charge is higher than what our neighbors in Orangevale pay. I'll look at the whole bill, not just the advertised rate, and guard against increases that aren't clearly justified.

• Rates rose 10% in 2023, 10% in 2024 and 5% in 2025: about 25% in three years.⁴
• About 78% of the District's rate revenue comes from fixed charges you pay no matter how little water you use.¹
• The fixed charge on a typical 1-inch home meter is about $45 a month ($90.98 every two months). Orange Vale Water Company charges $26.60.^{1, 7}
• We buy about 90% of our water from San Juan Water District. I want a strong working relationship with San Juan, not more lawsuits. The District joined a 2024 lawsuit against San Juan that is still unresolved.^{8, 9}

Should the yard stay in the Village?

The District plans to rebuild its corporation yard, where it keeps trucks, equipment and materials, in the heart of Fair Oaks Village. A decision that shapes our main street for decades deserves a full public conversation. I'll push for real public comment, a clear look at the alternatives, and answers to the community's questions before the District commits.

I'll also encourage a shared yard with the Fair Oaks Recreation & Park District and the Fair Oaks Cemetery District. Sharing space and equipment could save money for all three, and everyone wins.

• The yard sits at 10317 Fair Oaks Blvd., inside the commercial district of the Fair Oaks Village plan the County adopted in 1979.⁵
• The District says the rebuilt yard is designed to stay there "for the next hundred years."²
• More than 380 neighbors have signed a petition asking the District to reconsider the location.³

Clear answers on big investments

Is "pay as you go" realistic for a project this size? How many years of construction would the Village live with? A major building project is one of the largest decisions a small district makes. Ratepayers should see current cost estimates, how the project will be paid for, and what it means for their bills, before construction begins. I'll ask those questions in public and make sure the answers are shared.

• Design for the yard project began in 2018, and the County approved it in 2022. Construction costs have risen since then.⁶
• The District plans to pay for major projects "pay as you go" from its own funds instead of borrowing.¹
• The 2026 budget projects reserves slightly below the District's own policy target.¹