My Recent Activities
This week was a Yuba Water Agency Board of Directors meeting. A few key items from the agenda included a grant to Yuba County for up to $400,000 in additional funding for storm drainage infrastructure along North Beale Road (bringing the total grant funding for the project to $3.9M), and a presentation on the history and current status of the Bill Shaw Rescue and Training Grant Program. It was great to review all the benefits of the Bill Shaw Grant Program and the impact it’s had on our local fire districts and law enforcement agencies. You can check out the presentation here (starts at 3:23).
Additional meetings on my calendar included a Three Rivers Levee Improvement Authority (TRLIA) Meeting (agenda here), a Yuba Water Agency Water Education Ad Hoc Committee Meeting, a planning meeting for a Yuba County Emergency Preparedness Fair in Plumas Lake, a Northern California Water Association (NCWA) Board Meeting at Conant Farms in Rio Oso, a tour of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (SLDMWA), and a Bus Tour and Lunch with MJUSD. It was great to get a tour of all the recent (and upcoming) facility upgrades in MJUSD.
The best part of the SLDMWA tour was hearing firsthand how water from Yuba Water Agency, via the Lower Yuba River Accord, impacts the lives of farmers in the San Joaquin Valley and residents and businesses in the Silicon Valley. I knew how important the Accord was to protecting the water supply for our local farmers, supporting salmon in the Yuba River, and providing revenue for Yuba Water to invest in our community, but I had no idea how important it is to the food supply and economy outside of Yuba County.
From a community meeting and event standpoint, I led the weekly Plumas Lake Community Walking Moai on Monday morning at 6:30 and volunteered to oversee the Wine Shed at the United Way Golden Autumn Wine Festival at Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm.
Looking ahead to this week
This week is a Yuba County Board of Supervisors meeting and a few key items from the agenda include a proclamation recognizing September 10-16, 2023 as National Suicide Prevention Week, a quarterly update from Public Safety Departments, and approval of the final budget for fiscal year 2023-2024.
The majority of the week (Tuesday afternoon through Friday), I’ll be participating in the Water Education Foundation’s Eastern Sierra Tour. We’ll be learning about important topics such as the Geology & history of the Eastern Sierra, the Public trust doctrine, the History & operations of the LA Aqueduct, the Mono Lake ecosystem, the City of Los Angeles’ water supply, and the Bureau of Reclamation’s earliest projects.
Additional meetings on my calendar include a demo of a tool to simulate evacuations in emergencies.. Also, Tuesday evening is a Wheatland City Council meeting and you can find the agenda here.
I will lead a Plumas Lake Community Walking Moai on Monday morning. It’s getting a bit brisker and darker at 6:30 am but is still a great time building community and getting exercise. This week marks the end of our 10-week commitment to Blue Zones Project Yuba Sutter but the group decided to continue as long as daylight and weather cooperate.
Announcements
Some important announcements:
- Mark your Calendar for a Plumas Lake Emergency Preparedness Fair with Yuba Sheriff, OES, RD784 and Yuba Water. The focus will be on flood risk and will be held in conjunction with Plumas Lake Picnic in the Park at Eufay Wood on 10/14.
- Re-Election Announcement: I formally announced that I’m seeking re-election in 2024. Please visit www.vote4bradford.org.
*Picture is a collage of various things from my week: Flying back from a tour of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority with Supervisor Messick and Willie Whittlesey, Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm on opening weekend, View of Plumas Lake from the air, Supervisor Messick and I at San Luis Reservoir, Volunteering at the Wine Shed at the 8th Annual United Way Golden Autumn Wine Festival at Bishop’s, Plumas Lake Community Walking Moai, Yuba Water Agency Directors with local public safety leaders honoring Bill Shaw for his service to Yuba Water and inspiration of the Bill Shaw Grant program, tour of Marysville Joint Unified School District Facilities, Norther California Water Agency board meeting and tour of Conant Farms in Rio Oso, and the Taco Festival at Hard Rock.
Thank you for allowing me to serve you!
