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Dedicated Outreach Staff: For the first time in the region’s history, a dedicated Public
Information Officer has been hired to manage overall communications and outreach for
regional water management. This senior-level staff member will report directly to the
Assistant General Manager and oversee all communications efforts. This is a positive
step forward to ensure SCV Water has a two-way dialogue with its customers and
stakeholders.

Customer Communications: The SCV Water Board of Directors also recognized an
opportunity to engage the customer, staff and other stakeholders. We envision this more
than simply a logo, but rather a visual commitment of our purpose and mission in this
community. The name itself – “Your SCV Water” – is a nod to the Board’s belief that this
agency belongs to the people and that we must always strive for greater communications
and engagement.

Online Transparency: SCV Water will be a model of transparency technology and
access. A new website is under development that will go above and beyond what is
required by way of agenda and document postings. The new site is scheduled for launch
in the first part of the year.

Future communications and outreach plans are currently being developed to provide
greater detail. These foundational elements will ensure SCV Water seizes on the
opportunity to create a new culture of communications and outreach. In fact, the Board
views future communications and outreach initiatives as an extension of the
comprehensive, transparent and successful public engagement process that took place
as part of the formation of SCV Water, as described more fully below.

The Formation Process: Public Priorities, Engagement & Support
It was recognized early on that the concept of a new agency required extensive public
engagement. The districts launched what became among the Santa Clarita Valley’s most
robust, local government-led outreach processes to inform customers, seek guidance and
priorities, then incorporate feedback into the planning process. The legislation was a
direct result of the feedback received from the process.

The engagement process was designed to analyze the various subject areas of
importance as identified by the public, and to provide specific information regarding the
proposal to create a new public water district. The following outlines this public
engagement effort.

Workshop Series: Community forums and workshops were a central component to the
process. A series was designed as a progressive effort – each workshop built off the next
to provide an escalating amount of detail based on public feedback and studies conducted
by both the districts and independent experts. The sequence follows:

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