CWA - 2022 Spring Conference Program

SPRING CONFERENCE PROGRAM THE SAWYER HOTEL | 500 J STREET, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 | MAY 18-20, 2022

CALIFORNIA WATER ASSOCIATION - SPRING CONFERENCE THE SAWYER HOTEL | 500 J STREET, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 | MAY 18-20, 2022 AGENDA WEDNESDAY, MAY 18 Magnolia Foyer 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Registration and Lunch Magnolia Ballroom 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. USDP Committee Meeting 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. CPUC Regulatory Seminar 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Small Company Seminar Maple Suite, 3rd Floor 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. CWA Spring Conference Welcome Reception – Open to all Attendees Sponsored by Blair, Church and Flynn THURSDAY, MAY 19 Magnolia Ballroom Foyer 7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Registration 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Hosted Breakfast Magnolia Ballroom 8:30 a.m. - 8:35 a.m. Welcome from Chair of the 2022 CWA Spring Conference Tim Guster, Second Vice President, California Water Association; Vice President and General Counsel, Great Oaks Water 8:35 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Opening Speaker: Let’s JAM!!!

The Honorable Genevieve Shiroma, Commissioner, California Public Utilities Commission 8:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Water Equity Jam Session – Sponsored by Nossaman Part 1: Overview of Regulatory Agency Initiatives on Equity The California Public Utilities Commission: Environmental and Social Justice Action Plan The Honorable Clifford Rechtschaffen, Commissioner The State Water Resources Control Board: Racial Equity Resolution Laurel Firestone, Board Member Part 2: Water Utility Advancement of Equity Initiatives Moderator: Nichole Cropper, California Public Utilities Commission Panelists: John Tang, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Government Relations, San Jose Water Evan Jacobs, Director of Government Affairs, California American Water Holley Joy, Supplier Diversity Manager, Golden State Water; Manager of Supplier Diversity, Liberty Utilities 2

10:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Avoiding Water Conservation Traffic Jams Opening Comments: Secretary Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources Agency Moderator: Kurt Elvert, Manager, Field Service and Conservation, San Jose Water Panelists: Amy Talbot, Regional Water Efficiency Program Manager, Regional Water Authority Charlotte Ely, Supervisor, Conservation Unit, State Water Resources Control Board Ryan Bailey, Water Use Efficiency Branch Manager, Department of Water Resources Ken Jenkins, Chief Water Resource Sustainability Officer, California Water Service Tracy Quinn, Chief Executive Officer, Heal The Bay Magnolia Terrace 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Luncheon Session Introduction of Special Guest: Tim Bakman, President, Bakman Water Special Guest: Mark Arax, Author, The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California Magnolia Ballroom 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. “ZEV-Bound & Down” Moderator: Eric Fisher, Director of Supply Chain & Fleet, Liberty Utilities Panelists: Sydney Vergis, Division Chief, Mobile Source Control Division, California Air Resources Board Anne Hoskins, Chief Policy Officer, SunRun Maximillian Auffhammer, Environmental Economics & Professor of Sustainable Development, UC Berkeley 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Water Innovation is My Jam!!

Moderator: Craig Gott, President, Suburban Water Systems Presenters: Cybersecurity: Tina Thorstenson, Crowdstrike LCCR Compliance: Molly Tekulve, 120 Water Managing Water Budgets: Sarah Musiker, Senior Director of Utilities, Flume Asset Management Planning: Andy Yang, Director of Asset Management, San Jose Water 3:30 pm. - 3:45 p.m.

Refueling and Networking Break - Sponsored by Sheppard and Mullin

3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Jamming in the 2022 Legislative Session Moderator: Tami Miller, Partner, Political Solutions Panelists: Danielle Blacet, Deputy Executive Director, California Municipal Utilities Association Adam Quinonez, Director of State Legislative & Regulatory Relations, Association of California Water Agencies Kathy Viatella, Legislative Representative, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

CWA Member Appreciation Dinner at Punchbowl Social

FRIDAY, MAY 20 Maple Suite, 3rd Floor 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CWA Board of Directors Meeting – All CWA Members Welcome!

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SPEAKERS & MODERATORS Mark Arax Mark Arax is a California-based journalist and the author of several books, most recently "The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California." His work has appeared in The New York Times and The California Sunday Magazine, among other publications. A top graduate of Fresno State and Columbia University, Mark left the Los Angeles Times in 2007 after a public fight over censorship of his story on the Armenian Genocide. He has taught literary non-fiction at Claremont McKenna College and Fresno State University. The father of three children, who lives on a suburban farm in Fresno.

Maximillian Auffhammer Maximilian Auffhammer is a UC-Berkeley based environmental economist. Auffhammer is an Associate Professor with a joint appointment in International Area Studies and Agricultural and Resource Economics. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California at San Diego. His research agenda focuses on forecasting Greenhouse Gas Emissions as well as studying the impacts of air pollution on agriculture. Geographically he is mainly interested in China and India as well as his chosen home—California.

Ryan Bailey Ryan oversees and manages the efforts of the WUE team in its administrative, engineering, scientific, technical, and engagement activities related to water conservation legislation, implementation, urban water management planning support, agricultural water management planning support, land use surveys, the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS), and drought/water shortage contingency planning support for communities across California.

He has 25 years of experience in environmental protection, regulation, and compliance assistance programs to facilitate positive steps to protect public health and the environment. He most recently worked as a branch manager at the California Department of Food and Agriculture in the CalCannabis program, and prior to that managed environmental health and water programs as a deputy division chief for Sacramento County, including small drinking water systems, cross connection control, well permitting and groundwater protection, recycled water project review, and commercial/industrial stormwater compliance.

Ryan holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with a Geology minor from California State University, Sacramento. He is a Registered Environmental Health Specialist in California.

Tim Bakman Tim Bakman is the President at Bakman Water Company, a private water utility serving a portion of southeast Fresno and the Rolling Hills neighborhood in Madera County. He represents the company on the North Kings GSA Advisory Committee.

Danielle Blacet Danielle currently serves as the Deputy Executive Director of the California Municipal Utilities Association. She has over 20 years of experience working with California public water agencies and in multi-member associations including the Association of California Water Agencies and Western Growers Association. While at Western Growers she helped establish and managed a multi-state charitable foundation program providing grants, materials and other resources for water-efficient gardens in K-12 educational institutions. Danielle also has worked in political consulting and public affairs for both statewide and national clients. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Science from the University of California at Davis and a Certificate of Achievement in Computer Information Science from American River College.

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Wade Crowfoot Wade Crowfoot became California’s Natural Resources Secretary in January 2019, appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom. Secretary Crowfoot oversees an agency of 21,000 employees who protect and manage California’s natural environment. This includes stewarding the state’s forests and natural lands, rivers and waterways, and coast and ocean, protecting fish and wildlife, and overseeing energy development. As a member of the Governor’s cabinet, he advises Governor Newsom on natural resources and environmental issues.

Secretary Crowfoot firmly believes that good natural resources management helps natural places thrive and allows communities and our economy to prosper. His key priorities include: Building California’s resilience to climate change-driven threats, including wildfire, drought, extreme heat, flooding and sea-level rise.

Expanding equitable access to parks, natural places and outdoor recreation for all Californians. Preserving California’s world-renowned biodiversity of plants and animals.

Prior to serving as Secretary, Crowfoot led the Water Foundation, a nonprofit philanthropy that builds shared water solutions across the American West. Before that Crowfoot served in Governor Jerry Brown’s Administration as deputy cabinet secretary and senior advisor to the Governor. He also previously served as West Coast regional director for the Environmental Defense Fund and a senior environmental advisor to then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Secretary Crowfoot received a Bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996 and earned a master’s degree in public policy from the London School of Economics in 2004, graduating with honors. A native of Michigan, Crowfoot grew up spending his summers outdoors at a YMCA camp and at his family’s remote cabin in Northern Ontario. When he moved to California in the mid-1990s, he became an avid hiker and backpacker. Crowfoot marks his first time in the redwoods at Big Basin State Park as one of his defining California moments. Now he spends his time outside of work exploring, hiking and camping with his wife, Lisa, and their young daughter.

Kurt Elvert Kurt is Manager of Field Service and Conservation at SJW where he specializes in water conservation program design and management, irrigation evaluations, and customer assistance. He previously worked as a program director for Water Wise Consulting, and was a water conservation specialist for the Santa Clara Valley Water District (now known as Valley Water). Kurt has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University.

Laurel Firestone Laurel Firestone was appointed to the State Water Resources Control Board by Governor Gavin Newsom in February 2019. Prior to joining the Board, Laurel co-founded and co-directed, from 2006-2019, the Community Water Center, a statewide non-profit environmental justice organization based in California’s Central Valley and Central Coast.

Her career has focused on ensuring all Californians have access to safe, clean, and affordable drinking water, and building increased diversity, equity, and inclusivity into water decision-making.

Laurel has received a variety of awards and recognitions for her work, including the James Irvine Foundation’s Leadership Award in 2018, and the Gary Bellow Public Service Award by the Harvard Law School in 2013. Laurel served on the Tulare County Water Commission from 2007-2012, as well as a variety of state policy advisory committees.

She has partnered with universities to develop research and clinical programs to further the human right to water, and written articles and publications related to drinking water and the environment. Laurel graduated with honors from Harvard Law School and holds a B.A. magna cum laude in Environmental Studies from Brown University.

SPEAKERS & MODERATORS Craig Gott Craig Gott joined Suburban Water Systems in 2002 and has held several positions in the Engineering and Operations Departments including Vice President, Engineering, and Vice President, Field Operations.

He is currently the President of Suburban. Prior to joining Suburban, he worked for Sydney Water (Australian Water Technologies) in New South Wales, Australia. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wollongong in Australia, and a Master of Business Administration degree (Finance), from the University of La Verne in California. As a licensed Professional Civil Engineer in California, he also holds multiple certifications including a California Department of Drinking Water Distribution Operator III and Treatment Operator II. Craig’s approach to culture change is grounded in employee development and scalable leadership. He empowers leadership at all levels of the organization and has created supportive and inclusive environments that inspire learning and result in improved employee satisfaction and reduced turnover.

Tim Guster Tim Guster has been Great Oaks Water Company’s Vice President and General Counsel since 2007 and is responsible for all legal and regulatory affairs for Great Oaks, along with other assorted duties ranging from Conservation to Emergency Response Management to Public Relations. Tim is CWA’s Second Vice President. Prior to joining Great Oaks, Tim served as General Counsel for both publicly traded and privately-owned companies, including The Scott Fetzer Company, a $1 Billion-dollar subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway that has more than 20 different operating divisions doing business all around the world. Tim is also a trial and appellate attorney, with experience handling cases in federal courts and in all 50 states, as well as in many foreign jurisdictions. Tim is married to Elaine and together they have four children, two grandchildren, and two cats. When he’s not in the office, you might find Tim skiing at Jackson Hole, running down the street in a vain effort to stay fit, or playing golf with his buddies. In 2011, Elaine and Tim founded the Far Out Adventure Society®, a travel group of family and friends that, so far, has visited Scotland, Italy, France, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and Indonesia, with more adventures to come starting in 2023.

Anne Hoskins Anne Hoskins spearheads Sunrun’s federal and state public policy and regulatory advocacy. She joined Sunrun after serving nearly three years as a commissioner on the Maryland Public Service Commission, where she also served as a member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) board of directors and as Chair of the NARUC International Relations Committee. Previously, she led federal and state advocacy for Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated and served as a visiting research scholar at Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. Prior to that, Anne represented Verizon Wireless as a senior regulatory counsel and served as a policy advisor to the Governor of New Jersey.

Evan Jacobs Evan oversees the External Affairs Department for California American Water, which is responsible for customer communications, government affairs and community and stakeholder relations as well as internal, digital and social media communications. Before this, Evan worked for 10 years with this company as Northern Division External Affairs Manager, followed by a brief stint as a Director of Regulatory Policy and Case Management before transferring to his most recent post as Director of Government Affairs. Evan has a political science degree from Trinity University

Ken Jenkins Kenneth G. Jenkins to Chief Water Resource Sustainability Officer.

Jenkins joined Group subsidiary California Water Service (Cal Water) as Government & Community Relations Manager in 2005. He was appointed Water Resource Sustainability Director in 2020 after having successfully led the utility’s Conservation Department and Drought Response Task Force from 2008 to 2020. Jenkins holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in economics & management and political science from Beloit College in Wisconsin. Well known as a thought leader in the industry, he serves on the board of the California Water Efficiency Partnership and has contributed to numerous studies and papers by organizations such as the Public Policy Institute of California.

Holley Joy Holley Joy is Supplier Diversity Manager at Liberty Utilities. Holley is a member of the Asian Business Advisory Council and California Water Association’s Utility Supplier Diversity Program Committee. She volunteers as a women’s ministry event planner at Trinity Baptist Church in the Southern California community of Moreno Valley.

Holley earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of La Verne. She is a National Diversity Council DiversityFIRST™ Certified Diversity Professional and holds a Prosci certification as a Change Management Facilitator.

A native of Perris, California, Holley has a teenage son and an adult daughter and enjoys spending quality family time as much as she can.

Tami Miller A founding partner of Political Solutions and Sacramento native, Tami Miller brings an extensive understanding of the business world to lobbying. Having dedicated her career to legislative advocacy, Ms. Miller is a trusted advisor, educated and vigilant about her clients’ issues, and is proactive in promoting their interests, while keeping them well-informed about California’s ever-changing political landscape.

She combines her knowledge of policy, process, and key players to provide strategic advice to, and advocacy on behalf of, a wide range of clients. Ms. Miller’s strategic expertise in assessing opportunities within government enables her to effectively influence California’s regulatory and legislative arenas to achieve the policy and regulatory goals of her clients. With over 25 years of experience, and her encyclopedic knowledge, Ms. Miller is well-equipped to address critical issues in both the complex regulatory environment and the legislative world. Her practice focuses on issues such as tourism, natural resources, energy, environment, transportation, housing, water policy, land use and gaming.

Sarah Musiker Sarah has worked across public and private sectors to enable sustainable and resilient water management solutions. She began her career working for the State of California’s Delta Stewardship Council.

Following this, she led communication and business development for water technology companies in the US and abroad and recently worked for the non-profit WaterNow Alliance where she collaborated with local water providers to advance sustainable water management solutions. Currently, Sarah heads the utility division of Flume Water where she partners with water providers to enable real-time understanding of water use down to the drop.

Tracy Quinn Tracy Quinn is the CEO of the environmental group Heal the Bay, and prior to that served as the Director of California Urban Water Policy with the Natural Resources Defense Council. During her tenure, Quinn was a widely respected voice on how communities and industries across California must respond to unprecedented drought by improving water efficiency and investing in climate resilient supplies through stormwater capture and recycled water.

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SPEAKERS & MODERATORS As a Board Member of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Quinn pushes for actions to conserve and protect drinking water supplies for millions of people. She also served on the boards of The Wildwoods Foundation and the California Urban Water Conservation Council.

Quinn holds her Masters degree in engineering from Cornell University and is a registered civil engineer in California. Quinn began her water-centric career in Los Angeles at Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, an engineering firm that delivers innovative water solutions in the US. Adam Quinonez Adam Quiñonez began his career at ACWA in 2018. As State Relations Director, Adam oversees the state legislative and state regulatory advocacy of ACWA. His legislative issues include state budget, energy, and water quality.

Prior to joining ACWA, Adam served in Governor Brown’s administration as Legislative Director at the Department of Consumer Affairs where he had previously served as Assistant Legislative Director since 2015. At the Department of Consumer Affairs Adam worked on a number of issues related to consumer protection and led in the development of a medical cannabis regulatory framework in California.

Adam brings over a decade of state legislative experience having worked at several state departments and agencies in his career. Adam received a Bachelor of Arts from U.C. Davis and lives in Sacramento with his wife, Nicole, and three children Harrison, Beckett, and Chloe.

Commissioner Cliff Rechtschaffen Cliff Rechtschaffen was appointed to the California Public Utilities Commission by Governor Jerry Brown in January 2017. At the CPUC his key areas of interest include decarbonization, environmental justice, enforcement, and improving the accessibility of Commission proceedings. Commissioner Rechtschaffen is lead Commissioner on the integrated resource management, building electrification, transportation electrification, Renewables Portfolio Standard, biomethane and renewable gas, supplier diversity, and several risk assessment and safety proceedings,. Prior to joining the CPUC Commissioner Rechtschaffen served as a senior advisor to Governor Brown from 2011 to 2017, where he worked on climate, energy, and environmental issues, and special assistant attorney general in the California Attorney General’s Office from 2007-2010. From 1993-2007, he taught environmental law & directed the environmental law program at Golden Gate University School of Law. Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma Genevieve Shiroma was appointed to the CPUC by Governor Newsom on Jan. 22, 2019. Prior to joining the CPUC, Commissioner Shiroma served as a member of the Agricultural Labor Relations Board from 1999 to 2019, serving as chair from 1999 to 2006, 2011 to 2014, and 2017 to 2019. Previously, she was Chief of the Air Quality Branch at the California Air Resources Board from 1990 to 1999, an air quality supervisor from 1984 to 1990, and an air quality engineer from 1978 to 1984. For five terms, from 1999 to 2018, Commissioner Shiroma was the elected director of Ward 4 of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). Commissioner Shiroma resides in Sacramento and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering from University of California, Davis. She was born and raised as a farm worker’s daughter in the Acampo-Lodi area of San Joaquin County.

Amy Talbot Amy Talbot received a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Studies from the Department of Geography and the Environment from the University of Texas at Austin and Masters in Geography from the University of California at Davis focusing on supplier drought response. Ms. Talbot joined the Regional Water Authority (RWA), a coalition of more than 20 water purveyors and associated agencies in the greater Sacramento Region in 2012.

RWA’s mission is to serve, represent and align the interests of regional

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water providers and stakeholders for the purpose of improving. At RWA, Amy is the manager of the Regional Water Efficiency Program’s award-winning public outreach campaign and school education program and administers $2.5 million in grant funding to increase water use efficiency in the region. Amy served as the CA NV AWWA Water Loss Committee & Regulation Subcommittee Chair from October 2020 until March 2022.

John Tang John Tang is Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Government Relations for San Jose Water. His career spans more than 25 years in the areas of environmental engineering and public affairs. John is currently responsible for leading the company’s regulatory affairs, corporate communications, and government relations programs. John holds BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering from San Jose State University and an MBA from Columbia University. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in California. He is an Adjunct Professor at San Jose State University’s College of Engineering and holds both a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from San Jose State University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Columbia University. Mr. Tang is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of California and resides in Santa Clara County.

Tina Thorstenson Tina Thorstenson, Public Sector Strategist, sits on the Public Sector Industry Business Unit at CrowdStrike, where she provides strategic advisory services related to enterprise cybersecurity solutions for Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local, Higher Education, and Healthcare. Just prior to joining CrowdStrike, she served as the Chief Information Security Officer and Deputy CIO for Arizona State University, capping a career of public sector service spanning 25+ years where the last 11 years of those she held the title of CISO. Sydney Vergis Sydney Vergis is the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB’s) Division Chief for the mobile source control division and one of the newest MSRC members.

Vergis is a native Californian whose grandfather was a crop-duster for local agriculture in the Central Valley. From a young age, Vergis discovered her passion for protecting public health and the environment.

She started her career in land use planning in the private sector where she saw firsthand the importance of pairing development with environmental protection in ways that benefit the health and economic opportunities for local communities – a passion that she carries into her role at CARB. While focused on the California ZEV marketplace, where the state’s number one export is electric vehicles, batteries and components, she is also mindful of the increasing global activity on ZEV deployment in Norway, China, and other countries that are ramping up their investments in this space. Vergis sees California state and regional policies and investments as critical to attracting and keeping manufacturers and the clean transportation jobs in California.

Vergis is motivated by the idea that technology, innovation, and thoughtful public policy can truly help society transform our transportation system to a more sustainable future, and is enthusiastic about helping the MSRC continue its three decades of leadership in cleaning up the air.

Kathy Viatella Kathy Viatella is Metropolitan’s Executive Legislative Representative.

Kathy has more than 25 years’ experience in regulatory and legislative work on water policy initiatives for various organizations in the nonprofit and private sector, including work with The Nature Conservancy and Environmental Defense Fund. Prior to joining Metropolitan, she worked for Resources Legacy Fund where she worked for and helped launch the Water Foundation, a private philanthropy that was instrumental in the passage of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Kathy has deep policy expertise and proven experience in coalition building within the urban, agriculture and environmental sectors.

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SAVE THE DATE! 2022 CWA ANNUAL CONFERENCE MONTEREY PLAZA HOTEL & SPA OCTOBER 26-28