Groundwater Sustainability Agency

City of Greenfield Arroyo Seco Groundwater Sustainability Agency 599 El Camino Real Greenfield, CA 93927 Meeting Agenda July 22, 2025 4:00 P.M. The Arroyo Seco Groundwater Sustainability Agency will be meeting on July 22, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers located at 599 El Camino Real, Greenfield, California 93927, and will be open to the public. This meeting will also be accessible online and may be viewed through the following options: Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86701198267 Meeting ID: 867 0119 8267 PLEASE TURN OFF CELL PHONES AND PAGERS A. CALL TO ORDER B. ROLL CALL C. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE D. PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE REGARDING ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA This portion of the Agenda allows an individual the opportunity to address the GSA on any items not on the Closed Session, Consent Calendar, Public Hearings, and Agency Business. Under state regulations, no action can be taken on non-agenda items, including issues raised under this agenda item. Members of the public should be aware of this when addressing the GSA regarding items not specifically referenced on this Agenda. Please be further aware that public comments can also be submitted via email to the following email address: cityclerk@ci.greenfield.ca.us.  Meeting Agenda July 22, 2025 E. CONSENT CALENDAR All matters listed under the Consent Calendar are considered routine and may be approved by one action of the Agency, unless a request for removal for discussion or explanation is received prior to the time Agency votes on the motion to adopt. E-1. ADOPTION of Minutes of the June 24, 2025 Arroyo Seco GSA Meeting F. AGENCY BUSINESS F-1. CONSIDERATION of Appointment to the Salinas Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency Advisory Committee and Provide Staff Direction a. Staff Report b. Public Comments c. Agency Board - Comments / Review / Action F-2. RECEIVE Arroyo Seco Groundwater Sustainability Agency General Manager’s Status Report a. Oral Report b. Public Comments c. Agency Board - Comments / Review / Action G. ADJOURNMENT In compliance with the American With Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk at (831) 674-5591. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title II). This agenda is duly posted outside City Hall and on the City of Greenfield web site  CITY OF GREENFIELD ARROYO SECO GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY AGENCY MINUTES AGENCY MEETING OF JUNE 24, 2025 ROLL CALL Present: Chair Thorp, Vice Chair Griva, Board Members Wood, Rodriguez and White Absent: None Staff: Interagency Attorney Thompson, General Manager Weeks, City Clerk Rathbun PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE All recited the Pledge of Allegiance. CONSENT CALENDAR A MOTION by Vice Chair Griva, seconded by Board Member Wood to approve the Minutes of the April 22, 2025 Arroyo Seco GSA Meeting. All in favor. Motion carried. CONSIDERATION OF FISCAL YEAR 2025-2026 BUDGET FOR THE ARROYO SECO GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY AGENCY Staff report was given by General Manager Weeks. A MOTION by Board Member White, seconded by Vice Chair Griva to approve the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Budget for the Arroyo Seco Groundwater Sustainability Agency. All in favor. Motion carried. RECEIVE ARROYO SECO GROUNDWATER SUSTAINABILITY AGENCY GENERAL MANAGER’S STATUS REPORT General Manager Weeks stated that the GSA had now moved into the implementation phase for many items in the Salinas Valley. He stated that he did not see a big impact on the Arroyo Seco regarding the demand management program but there had been a lot of discussion on alternative projects. He stated that some time in July they were going to try to meet with our sister agency in a coordination meeting and would notify the Board once it was scheduled and the outcome of that meeting. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 4:08 p.m. _________________________ Chair of the Board ___________________________ City Clerk of the City of Greenfield  City of Greenfield Arroyo Seco Groundwater Sustainability Agency MEMORANDUM: July 18, 2025 AGENDA DATE: July 22, 2025 TO: Board Members FROM: Curtis Weeks, General Manager TITLE: CONSIDER APPOINTMENT TO THE SALINAS VALLEY BASIN GSA ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND PROVIDE STAFF DIRECTION The Salinas Valley Basin GSA (SVBGSA) is currently revising their Advisory Committee structure and membership. Under the new structure, the ASGSA will continue to have one seat on the Advisory Committee to be appointed at the Board of Directors discretion. Please find attached letter from the SVBGSA describing the membership process for the ASGSA. DISCUSSION: The attached letter outlines the proposed changes and composition of the revised SVBGSA Advisory Committee. The number of members has been reduced (about half of the current membership) while retaining representation for public agencies and other stakeholders. The ASGSA needs to submit a Board approved proposed committee member by August 1, 2025. The ASGSA General Manager has served as your representative for the past several years and currently chairs the SVBGSA Advisory Committee. It is recommended that the Board of Directors reappoint the ASGSA General Manager as the ASGSA representative and provide direction to staff. ATTACHMENTS SVBGSA Advisory Committee Letter dated 26 June 2025.  Salinas Valley Basin P. O. Box 1350 Groundwater Sustainability Agency Carmel Valley, CA 93924 (831) 471-7518 www.svbgsa.org June 26, 2025 Curtis V. Weeks General Manager Arroyo Seco Groundwater Sustainability Agency 599 El Camino Real Greenfield, CA 93927 cweeks@arroyosecogsa.org Dear Mr. Weeks, This letter serves to notify the Arroyo Seco Groundwater Sustainability Agency (ASGSA) that the nomination period for the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency’s (SVBGSA) Advisory Committee is now open. The ASGSA is one of the four Partner Agencies that were designated to appoint a member to serve on this Committee. Please have your nominee complete the Application Form on our website to provide the requested information. The Board of Directors will be making the appointments of all potential committee members and having additional information about each appointee will assist the Board in filling the Board-Designated Seats to ensure broad range of representation. The Advisory Committee Charter and Bylaws requires that your nominee is endorsed by the Board of the ASGSA, either via an official appointment letter or resolution. We will be closing the online application form on August 1, 2025 at 12:00 P.M., so we request that we receive the completed application from your nominee and the official endorsement from your Board by that date. We look forward to having your representative serve on this Committee and to collaborating with them on the important work our agency is undertaking currently and in the coming years. For your information, the most recent version of Advisory Committee Charter Bylaws that was approved at the June 12, 2025 SVBSGA Board of Directors meeting is attached to this letter. If you have any questions regarding the Advisory Committee or this process, please reach out to me at harmonp@svbgsa.org or Harrison Tregenza at tregenzah@svbgsa.org. Sincerely, Piret Harmon General Manager Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency Advisory Committee Charter and Bylaws Charge The purpose of the Advisory Committee (“Committee”) is to provide input and recommendations to the Board of Directors (“Board”) of the Salinas Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (“Agency”). At the request of the Board, the Committee reviews and provides recommendations to the Board on groundwater-related issues. Brown Act, Open Process and Conflicts of Interest 1. The Committee meetings are subject to the Brown Act and open to the public. The Committee shall adopt a schedule and location for regular meetings, and meeting agendas shall be posted in compliance with the Brown Act. 2. The Board maintains an interested parties list, uses an application process, and makes appointments to the Committee. 3. Members of the Committee are subject to all applicable conflict of interest laws including Government Code section 1090 and the California Political Reform Act. The Committee adheres to the Board’s conflict of interest code. Roles and Responsibilities Agency Board The Board recognizes the value of the Committee and takes into account the Committee recommendations when making its decisions. Advisory Committee The Committee considers and incorporates community and stakeholder views into consensus recommendations, with the focus on SGMA implementation in the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin, for the Board consideration its decision-making process. The Committee members represent the diverse interests of the agencies and groundwater users in the Agency’s jurisdiction. The expectations for Committee members are to: • Serve as a strong effective advocate • Work collaboratively with others • Commit time needed for understanding the issues • Collectively reflect diversity of views • Conduct focused and productive deliberations. Work Groups The Committee may establish work groups to periodically address specific issues. Work groups are tasked with considering particular matters and developing recommendations for the Committee to contemplate and refine before communicating the outcome with the Board. Work groups consist of a small number of participants, which may but do not need to be, members of the Committee consisting of or including less than a quorum of the Committee. The work group participants are expected to have expertise related to the specific issue, and to reflect a diversity of interests when possible. The Committee defines the scope and objectives for each work group. 1 Role of the Chair The Chair is selected by a majority vote of the Committee at the first meeting of each calendar year, unless otherwise modified. The newly elected Chair’s term begins at the close of that Committee meeting; The Chair remains as one member of the Committee and has no rights or authority different from any other member except as set forth below: • Ensures that the work of the Committee is consistent with its Charter and Bylaws; • Provides input to staff for preparation of the Committee meeting agenda; • Runs the meeting of the Committee; calls the meeting to order, presides over the meeting, including the conduct of members and those in attendance; and, • Provides guidance to the Committee fairly and impartially. The Committee also selects a Vice-Chair to act in the Chair’s absence. If both the Chair and Vice-Chair are absent, the Committee selects a Chair Pro Tem to conduct the meeting. Decision Making To inform the Board’s decision-making, the Committee provides written recommendations on matters that the Board assigns to the Committee. The recommendations identify and synthesize points of agreement and disagreement. The Committee strives to reach consensus on its recommendations. The definition of consensus spans the range from strong support to neutrality, to abstention, to “I can live with it,” to “I will let this go forward.” When unable to reach consensus on recommendations, the Committee outlines the areas of agreement and disagreement providing adequate explanation in a summary report to the Board. The Committee may request that one or more Committee members present its recommendations to the Board, including areas of agreement and disagreement, consistent with the Committee deliberations. Membership Membership Structure The Advisory Committee shall consist of 11 to 13 members, appointed to represent key stakeholder groups and subbasin implementation areas, as follows: Seat Type Number of Seats 180/400 Subbasin Committee 1 Eastside Subbasin Committee 1 Langley Subbasin Committee 1 Monterey Subbasin Committee 1 Forebay Subbasin Committee 1 Upper Valley Subbasin Committee 1 Monterey County Water Resources Agency 1 Arroyo Seco GSA 1 2  Seat Type Number of Seats Marina Coast Water District GSA 1 Monterey One Water 1 Board-Designated Members Up to 3 Total Seats: 11 to 13 Advisory Committee members may not concurrently serve on the SVBGSA Board of Directors either as a primary or alternate member. Each appointed member shall serve a term of three (3) years and, to maintain continuity, shall hold office until their successor is appointed. Members may be reappointed for additional terms. Nomination and Selection Process A. Nomination Guidelines 1. Subbasin Committee Nominations Each subbasin implementation committee (e.g., 180/400, Eastside, Langley, Monterey, Forebay, Upper Valley) shall nominate one individual to serve as its representative on the Advisory Committee. • Nominees must demonstrate a record of involvement in groundwater management or water- related issues. • Nominees need not reside or work within the respective subbasin but must show active engagement or interest in the subbasin's groundwater concerns. • Nominees may but are not required to be existing members of the subbasin implementation committee. These nominations must be endorsed by the respective subbasin implementation committee. 2. Partner Agency/Organization Nominations The following agencies shall nominate one individual each: • Monterey County Water Resources Agency • Arroyo Seco GSA • Marina Coast Water District GSA • Monterey One Water. These nominations must be endorsed by the governing board of the nominating agency and submitted in writing. 3. Board-Designated Appointments (Up to Three Seats) The SVBGSA Board of Directors may appoint up to three individuals to serve on the Advisory Committee to fill identified gaps in representation (e.g., environmental, rural residential, tribal, industrial, underserved communities), enhance expertise or geographic balance and foster collaboration across sectors. • An application process will be opened to solicit interest from community members at large to fill these seats • Preference shall be given to individuals not already affiliated with the nominating groups. B. Required Nomination/Application Materials 3 Each nominating body (including subbasin committees, agencies, or organizations) shall submit the following to the SVBGSA Board for review: 1. Nomination Letter or Resolution A formal letter or adopted resolution naming the nominee and confirming the nominating body’s approval. 2. Nominee/Applicant Information Form (to be developed by SVBGSA staff) that includes: • Full name and contact information • Current organizational affiliation and role (if any) • Subbasin(s) of interest (if applicable) • Description of experience and interest in groundwater, water management, or SGMA • Statement of availability and commitment to regularly participate in meetings • Any relevant community affiliations or stakeholder perspectives they represent (e.g. environmental, rural residential, tribal, industrial, underserved communities). 3. Optional Attachments • Resume or CV • Letter(s) of support or endorsement C. Review and Selection Process 1. Board Review All submitted nominations and applications will be compiled and reviewed by SVBGSA staff and presented to the Board in a public meeting. 2. Evaluation Criteria and Process The Board will consider the following criteria in selecting Advisory Committee members: • Diversity of stakeholder perspectives represented • Demonstrated experience or interest in groundwater management • Regional balance across the valley • Willingness and ability to commit time and participate actively • Complementarity with other members' backgrounds and skills. 3. Appointment Timing The Board will aim to make the appointments at least one month before the next scheduled Advisory Committee meeting cycle. Newly appointed members will begin service immediately following confirmation. 4. Vacancies Should a seat become vacant, the original nominating body will be asked to submit a replacement nomination within 60 days. If there is a vacancy in a Board-Designated seat, the Board may leave it vacant, appoint an individual who submitted an application in a prior solicitation or conduct a new solicitation. 4 Process Agreements To create a productive environment and conduct a successful process, the Committee members agree to these process agreements used during the meetings: • Everyone agrees to negotiate in good faith. All Committee members agree to participate in decision making, to act in good faith in all aspects of this effort and to communicate their interests during meetings. Good faith also requires that parties not make commitments they do not intend to follow through with, and that parties act consistently in the meetings and in other forums where the issues under discussion in these meetings are also being discussed. • Everyone agrees to address the issues and concerns of the participants. All Committee members have a stake in the issue at hand. For the process to be successful, all the parties agree to validate the issues and concerns of the other parties and strive to reach an agreement that takes all the issues under consideration. Disagreements will be viewed as problems to be solved, rather than battles to be won. • Agreements stand even if representatives change. New Committee members agree to uphold previous agreements reached. • Everyone agrees to inform their leadership and constituents about the outcome of the facilitated discussions. Meeting scheduling will allow for the Committee members to inform and seek advice from their leadership, constituents, attorneys, and scientific advisors about the discussions and negotiated outcomes. The Committee members can express conditional support to an agreement but will need to solicit input and support in their organization or interest group caucus before reaching final agreement. • Everyone agrees to attend all the meetings to the extent possible. Continuity of the conversations and building trust are critical to the success of the Committee. Every effort will be made to accommodate all Committee members when setting the schedule for meetings and publishing the agendas. • Everyone agrees that parties can meet with other organizational or interest group members; however, such meetings must include less than a quorum of the Committee members, and there cannot be serial meetings with the same organizations or interest group members such that a quorum or more of Committee members meet. The Committee members may find it helpful to caucus or meet with other organizations or interest group members and to consult with constituents outside of the meeting or to talk privately with other meeting participants. The Committee members or the Chair can request a caucus. Participants agree to use caucuses as a tool to move agreements forward and explore topics of concern. The Chair may attend and consult with parties during caucus discussions. Participation Agreements The Committee members work together to create a problem-solving environment and to implement these agreements to that aim. • Use Common Conversational Courtesy • All Ideas and Points of View Have Value. All ideas have value in this setting. We are looking for innovative ideas. The goal is to achieve understanding. Simply listen, you do not have to agree. If you hear something you do not agree with or you think is "silly" or "wrong," please remember 5  that the purpose of the forum is to share ideas. • Be Honest, Fair, and as Candid as Possible. Help others understand you and work to understand others. • Avoid Editorials. It will be tempting to analyze the motives of others or offer editorial comments. Please talk about your own ideas and thoughts. Avoid commenting on why you believe another participant thinks something. • Honor Time and Be Concise. People’s time is precious; treat it with respect. • Think Innovatively and Welcome New Ideas. Creative thinking and problem solving are essential to success. “Climb out of the box” and attempt to think about the problem in a new way. • Invite Humor and Good Will Communication & Media The Agency staff serves as primary contacts for all communication, outreach and media. At the request of the Board, or staff, the Committee may advise on outreach and community engagement. The Committee members reserve freedom to express their own opinions to media representatives, but not the opinions of others. The temptation to discuss someone else’s statements or position should be avoided. If contacted by the press or an external party concerning the discussions, the Committee members are asked to: • Point out that they are not speaking on behalf of the Committee, unless specifically authorized by the Committee to do so • Present their views only and conscientiously refrain from expressing, characterizing, or judging the views of others • Avoid using the press as a vehicle for negotiation. Amendments The Committee can recommend future changes to the charter and by-laws. The Board may amend the Charter and Bylaws when needed. Version History V1: Date 05/11/23 V2: Date 06/12/25 6