All politics are said to be local, but sometimes local elections are practically invisible unless you live in a specific neighborhood. Such was the case with Tuesday’s likely victory of Pasadena’s William Opel over Robert G. Cruz.
If you were one of 39 Opel voters, congratulations. Your candidate for the Kinneloa Irrigation District Board of Directors Division 5 is currently ahead in the count with 70.91 percent of the votes. Opel was a previous member of the Board and will likely return after the vote count is certified by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder / County Clerk.
According to the Kinneloa Irrigation District Web site, the public entity serves 588 metered customers in the Kinneloa Mesa area of Pasadena, including a church, a school, a nursery, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District, Los Angeles County Fire Station 66 and the Eaton Canyon Equestrian Center. The KID also supplies water for fire protection throughout its service area.
Also according to the District’s 2023 Approved Budget, the District operates at a loss, with total revenues of $1,695,000 and expenses of $1,837,200.
Included in the District’s budget are Board of Directors compensation expenses of $8,400 (in total, for the 5-member Board), Board administrative expenses of $1,000 and Board election costs of $12,500.
