THOUSAND OAKS : Briefing Today on Water Issues

Board members of the Calleguas and Las Virgenes municipal water districts will join other local officials today for a briefing on water issues given by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

None will be as surprised to be there as Don Hauser, a newly elected member of the Calleguas board.

Despite his least efforts, Hauser scored one of two upset victories in last week’s elections for the Calleguas board. He defeated incumbent and longtime friend Kurt Reithmayr by 766 votes in Division 3, which takes in Camarillo, Santa Rosa and part of Thousand Oaks. Candidate Fred Brook was a distant third.

“I did no advertising whatsoever,” said Hauser, a civil engineer in Camarillo. “I spent zero. Zero signs, no flyers, no walking, no shaking hands, nothing.”

In Division 2, Jeffrey Borenstein, a Thousand Oaks accountant, also ousted incumbent L.B. (Les) Kovacs.

The only one of three incumbents to win reelection was Ted Grandsen of Simi Valley, who handily defeated opponent Vince Nowell.

At today’s briefing in Calabasas, Metropolitan officials plan to present a “nuts and bolts” look at water supply and management issues for the coming year, a Las Virgenes spokeswoman said.

Hauser didn’t expect to have to deal with those kinds of issues. He didn’t expect to win, especially against a two-term incumbent.

“I’m very much surprised,” he said.

Even his friends didn’t know he was running for the board until they saw his name on a sample ballot, Hauser said.

Unlike Hauser, Borenstein actively sought election to the board. Borenstein has been the district’s independent auditor for 14 years.

“I think the incumbent didn’t do much work,” Borenstein said. “He approached the election with some complacency, while I did campaign fairly actively.” Neither the newcomers nor existing board members said they expect any changes in the management of the Calleguas district when the two new board members are seated in January.

Calleguas buys from Metropolitan and sells it to five cities and 15 public and private water companies in eastern and central Ventura County.