All five seats on Triunfo Sanitation will be elected
By Sophia Fischer  sfischer@theacorn.com

Triunfo Sanitation District board of directors took a major step this week toward becoming an all-elected body.

Previous motions by Triunfo board members Linda Parks and Janna Orkney to have all five members of the panel be elected were defeated by the three other board members, Ron Stark, Tom Glancy and Jim Acosta.

At the board's July 16 meeting, however, only Acosta remained adamant about keeping three members appointed and two members elected.

"I will not support the move to change the board because I feel the board has done a good job for ratepayers," Acosta said.

The board's apparent change of heart came about as a result of a Ventura County grand jury report last month that criticized Triunfo's makeup and lack of independence from the the Ventura Regional Sanitation District. A complaint to the grand jury prompted the investigation.

Triunfo is in the process of preparing a response to the grand jury's report.

Triunfo, which oversees water and sanitation services in Oak Park, North Ranch, Bell Canyon, Lake Sherwood and parts of Thousand Oaks, is run by a five-member board, only two of whom are elected. The others members are appointed. The district has no staff, but contracts with Ventura Regional for management services, including financial and legal.

The grand jury report recommended Triunfo retain a different general manager, law firm and auditor other than Ventura Regional. An investment oversight by Ventura Regional last year resulted in the loss of about $100,000 in interest earnings for Triunfo, an amount that was later reimbursed to the agency.

Orkney urged the Triunfo board to approve an at-large, general election in which residents vote on all five board seats. The action was approved, 4-1, with Acosta opposed.

Parks serves on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors and Glancy is a City Council member in Thousand Oaks.