Director, Division 2 — Oakdale Irrigation District
Get the facts on the California candidates running for election to the Director, Division 2 — Oakdale Irrigation District
Find out their top 3 priorities, their experience, and who supports them.
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My Top 3 Priorities
Protecting our water resources by keeping our surface water in Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties rather than exporting it out of the region.
Saving our groundwater aquifers by providing surplus OID surface water to more nearby farmers and ranchers so they reduce pumping from our groundwater basin.
Working together to find solutions that benefit the long-term needs of our entire community without resorting to legal actions.
Experience
Experience
Profession:Farmer and Rancher
Farmer and Rancher, Self-employed (1975–current)
School Board Member, Valley Home Joint Union School District — Elected position (1998–2012)
Community Activities
Chairman, Valley Home Community Park (2014–current)
Biography
I have lived in the Oakdale Irrigation District my entire life. My father, Tony Taro, was an OID director for many years, and I grew up attending board meetings and learning about the irrigation district.
I care deeply about our community, and I know how important a reliable water source is to preserving and improving our way of life.
Political Beliefs
Position Papers
Candidate Statement for Oakdale Irrigation District Division 2
Summary
OID Division 2 represents all of Valley Home, northern portions of the city of Oakdale (including part of Burchell Hills) and rural parcels east of Escalon in San Joaquin County.
Protecting our community’s groundwater must become a priority for the Oakdale Irrigation District. When our surface water is exported to buyers outside our region, our aquifers aren’t recharged. We need to keep that water in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties to sustain our groundwater basins and keep our wells from running dry.
We all drink groundwater – including every Oakdale and Valley Home resident – so it’s imperative we safeguard our water quality. We cannot jeopardize our community’s future by exporting our surface water while needlessly pumping down our aquifers. Rather than shipping water elsewhere, OID should irrigate more of our region’s agricultural land with surface water so our farmers can stop pumping groundwater.
OID also must address Oakdale city residents’ concerns. Oakdale homeowners pay more than $1 million a year in OID taxes, and they should get more for their money.
I served 14 years on Valley Home’s school board. I’m currently chairman of Valley Home’s community park. My father, Tony Taro, was an OID director for many years, and I grew up attending board meetings and learning about the irrigation district.
I understand the needs of rural and city residents. I’ll be a hardworking, honest and community-oriented OID director.
