Left Off the Map

About 300 properties in Pinedale County Water District receive sewer-only service from the district and pay for it every two months. Those customers can’t vote for the board or run for a seat. Here is how that happened and what I think should be done about it. The supporting documents are in the Court cases section and in the board agendas and minutes at pcwdinfo.com.

What happened

In 2016, during a service realignment with the City of Fresno to streamline services, the district changed about 300 parcels from water-and-sewer service to sewer-only service. From the records I’ve reviewed, when the district’s map was updated, those parcels were dropped from the district boundary entirely rather than relabeled. The County Registrar of Voters decides who votes in district elections using the boundary on file with the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo), the agency that sets special district boundaries. So the sewer-only residents fell out of the electorate.

The district hasn’t had a contested election since 2007. Since then there have never been more candidates than open seats, so the seats have been filled by appointment in lieu of election. The problem was known at the district from at least 2020, but it came to the forefront in 2024, when a person tried to file papers to run for a seat on the board and was denied. In July 2026 the board authorized a lawsuit against the Registrar, asking the court to include the sewer-only areas in this year’s election. The court denied emergency relief on Aug. 3. The amended petition now asks the court to set aside the Nov. 3 results and order a new election with the 300 customers included, at the sole cost of county taxpayers.

What it means

The sewer-only residents won’t have this race on their ballot, and they can’t vote for board members in this election. Whether they will vote in the next one depends on the court, or on the boundary being corrected through LAFCo.

Stepping back

The sewer-only residents are district customers and should be district voters. The question is how to get there. LAFCo is the agency with authority over district boundaries, and its process is built for exactly this kind of correction. A lawsuit against the Registrar, who can only use the map LAFCo authorizes, puts the cost on ratepayers and leaves the result up to a judge.

Dutcher’s Take

These residents were left off the map by a clerical change a decade ago, and the district’s own minutes show it has known about the problem since at least June 2, 2020. They deserve a fix through the agency that can make it, not another costly lawsuit. At a special meeting, I invited LAFCo’s executive director to brief the board on what appears to have happened and how to fix it. The board majority had called that meeting to discuss a new lawsuit against the County of Fresno Registrar of Voters. In open session, the board president said he distrusts LAFCo and that it has a history of shady dealings, in his opinion. The board then voted 3-2 to file the lawsuit, and the district has paid its legal counsel to file, brief and argue it.

I question why the board majority chose to pursue this now. Of the three seats up this November, two are held by members of the majority, including the board president. The third is held by a director who took office with me in January 2025, has asked the same type of questions I have, and is now running for a full four-year term. Voters should ask why this lawsuit was filed now. I’ll keep pushing for the LAFCo route.