New Kings County Water District board comes with experience, layered connections

Editor’s note: Monserrat Solis covers Kings County water issues for SJV Water through the California Local News Fellowship initiative.

Brian Medeiros was appointed Feb. 5 to the Kings County Water District board seat that became vacant after longtime farmer and board member Joe Freitas died late last year.

Medeiros comes with well-established water management experience and connections as he also serves as a board member on the Last Chance Ditch Company and as an advisory member to the Mid-Kings River Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA).

“I want to make things as best as we can,” Medeiros told SJV Water. “My son wants to be a farmer just like his dad. I want to give him the opportunity to do that.”

Medeiros also confirmed that he plans to run for the seat when it comes up in the Nov. 3 general election.

His connections to other water agencies sparked a discussion about potential conflicts of interest. Especially as fellow board members Chip Mello and David Stanfield also sit on the Mid-Kings advisory committee. Kings County Water District manager Dennis Mills is also a member of the Last Chance board, increasing the layers of cross connections.

Though Kings County Water District General Counsel Ray Carlson cautioned board members against discussing Mid-Kings business or risk violating the state’s open meeting laws, one board member noted that as advisory committee members they don’t have voting powers on Mid-Kings. 

“We make recommendations,” Stanfield said. “We’re not making the policy.”

As for Medeiros being on the Last Chance board, Mello viewed it as a positive.

“We talk about the Last Chance system all the time. He (Medeiros) knows more than anybody here.”

Addressing infrastructure

The district will hold a study session to discuss adding a new executive role to the district so that person and Mills can ramp up the district’s focus on infrastructure both on the ground and online.

Board members mentioned the Riverside Ditch and the district’s website, in particular, as needing attention.

“I can drive by and just visually tell that Riverside Ditch has been neglected for decades,” Mello said. “That’s just my opinion. I don’t even have to drive very far. I drive half a mile down the ditch bank and it looks like hell.”

Board Member Paul Gillum wanted to improve the district’s transparency by updating its website to include district activity, project updates and to increase communication with the general public.

“If I were to give myself a grade or the board a grade, and no offense to anybody here, I don’t think we did a great job this last year,” Gillum said.

The study session will be held Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. at the district office, 200 Campus Drive. 

The board will also appoint a two member advisory group to discuss and make recommendations about the new leadership roles at a later date. 

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