Defending TSD

As the chairwoman for Triunfo Sanitation District I would like to comment on your editorial, "Public Agency Under Water" in your Sept. 26 edition.

I would like to clarify how the Triunfo Sanitation District was formed. The district formation was initiated by the Ventura County supervisors and approved by state legislation in November 1963. State legislation changed when the city of Thousand Oaks incorporated in 1964 and again to add two local representation seats in 1980. The governance of this board is not a rarity as indicated in your article. Many boards are made up of appointed or mixed board representatives such as LAFCA, APCD and the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency, to name a few.

During my tenure on the board, the district has been instrumental in many positive changes for our community. Some of the significant accomplishments include the acquisition of the water supply system and the construction of our reclaimed water supply. Both of these projects help provide a long-term sustainable water supply for our community.

What I find most interesting is that it appears the information in your article is not from your own investigation. The information regarding current fiscal issue discussions at the board are being mischaracterized. Your comments trouble me intensely, as this has all of the appearances of a specific political agenda.

This paper's duty to the community should be no different than our district's board and that is to present accurate information to inform the public. Referencing "watch dog" groups- how many do we need? Do we need "watch dogs" to watch the "watch dogs?" Where does that stop? Does it stop when the special interest groups say so? Is that in the best interest of this community?

I encourage our community to come to our meetings and work with their district's board to better serve our community. The type of sensationalism outlined in your editorial addresses the special interest opinion and in a small community only serves to ultimately hurt the ratepayers in the end. Norma Callero Chairwoman Triunfo Sanitation District