State law forbids district elections for Triunfo Sanitation
By Sophia Fischer  sfischer@theacorn.com

The quest to make the Triunfo Sanitation District Board of Directors an all-elected body took an unexpected twist last week when it was announced that an election to choose board members by district isn't permitted under state law.

Only an at-large election in which residents vote for all five seats on the board is allowed, officials said. The Triunfo district oversees water and sanitation services in parts of Thousand Oaks, Lake Sherwood, Oak Park and Bell Canyon.

Board member Linda Parks learned the news when she contacted the Ventura County Elections Division for information about holding an election to choose board members by region. The move toward an all-elected board came after a Ventura County grand jury issued a report critical of Triunfo's makeup.

Currently, two seats are elected, the other three appointed. Parks has been a leading proponent for an all-elected board but was unable to get a majority to support her until she gained the backing of Chair Janna Orkney, who was voted onto the board last November.

At Triunfo's July 16 meeting, members Ron Stark and Tom Glancy indicated they would support an election of all five seats by region only. The move toward at-large elections could fail without their support.

Parks said she was "floored" when she found out that an election by region wasn't allowed.

Although Parks would support election by region, her preference has always been an at-large vote, which she hoped her fellow board members would support. Parks also serves on the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

"At-large makes the most sense," Parks said. "First and foremost, residents deserve elected representation."

According to Gene Browning, Ventura County assistant registrar of voters, the Triunfo board has authority to adopt a resolution calling for at-large election of all five seats. One or two of the seats would be up for election in November, and the remaining seats would be voted on in November 2010, Browning said.

Stark continued to stress the importance of election by area.

He's concerned that an at-large election wouldn't guarantee representation for each region that's served by Triunfo, which is made up of about 44 percent Oak Park, 44 percent Thousand Oaks, and 12 percent Lake Sherwood and Bell Canyon, according to Orkney.

"I want to have equal representation for all people in the district," Stark said.

Parks and Orkney disagree with Stark.

"I don't find that a valid argument. The issues facing the district are the same no matter where you live," Orkney said. "More of a challenge is to try to find candidates who would run."

An election by region would pit Orkney and Stark against one another. Both live on the same street in Oak Park.

"Anyone living in the district who cares can make a difference," Orkney said.

Stark suggested exploring changing Triunfo's legal designation, moving the agency into a different state code with new rules that would allow election by region. Las Virgenes Municipal Water District is such an agency--it has an all-elected board chosen by area.

The move wouldn't be without precedent. Before there was a Triunfo board, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors oversaw the agency, Stark said.

"They would hold meetings for two to three minutes before lunch and that was it," Stark said.

In 1980, frustrated by the supervisors' lack of attention to the district, Stark put together a petition seeking a ballot measure for voters to decide if they wanted two elected seats on the board.

Rather than pay for a costly election, supervisors decided to support the change, which received the backing of the state Assembly.

Only two elected seats were sought as opposed to all five because "that was the way to get it done," according to Stark.

"In politics everything is a compromise," Stark said.