BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
The Valley Water board has voted to wait on funding the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority until getting answers about its plans to control flooding.
“We’re just making sure that we stay very professional and very ethical,” Valley Water board member Richard Santos said on Aug. 12.
Valley Water board member Nai Hsuch has previously said that she’s worried the creek authority won’t protect against a 70-year flood, or a flood that has a one-in-70 chance of happening each winter.
Hsuch said Valley Water committed to that level of protection in a 2020 ballot measure, but nearby residents have fought to keep the creek natural.
So the Valley Water board approved $329,098 for the creek authority’s operations on Tuesday but waited to approve another $604,000 for the planning and design of a flood control project.
Palo Alto property owners pay a tax for Valley Water, but the agency doesn’t provide water to the city. Instead, Palo Alto gets its water from the Hetch-Hetchy system, operated by San Francisco. Valley Water’s only role in Palo Alto is contributing to flood control efforts.
Palo Alto Councilman Greer Stone, who chairs the creek authority’s board, will talk to the Valley Water board on Sept. 24.
That’s when Valley Water board members can ask questions and familiarize themselves with the creek authority’s plans before approving the rest of the money, Chief Operating Officer Christopher Hakes said on Tuesday.
Valley Water is one of five agencies in the creek authority, along with the cities of Menlo Park, Palo Alto and East Palo Alto and San Mateo County’s OneShoreline.
Decision criticized
Valley Water board member Rebecca Eisenberg of Palo Alto criticized her agency, saying it had not fulfilled its agreement with the creek authority by withholding the money.
“It’s unethical, and I think low integrity … This is starting to sound, as the kids say, “sus,” Eisenberg said, referring to the slang shorthand for “suspicious.”
Eisenberg represents Palo Alto, but her colleagues removed her from the creek authority and replaced her with Hsueh.
The creek authority’s agreement says that members can independently decide whether to participate in construction projects, Hakes said.
“We are not in breach if we choose to ask questions,” Hakes said in response to Eisenberg’s comments.
Bridge removal
The creek authority has been working to remove the Pope-Chaucer Bridge since a flood damaged hundreds of homes in February 1998.
But another flood on New Year’s Eve 2022 caused water to spill out in unexpected areas along Woodland Avenue in East Palo Alto, and hydrologists found the creek authority’s models were inaccurate.
That means the bridge can’t be replaced unless the creek’s capacity is expanded further downstream first, so board members are looking into adding flood walls and excavating parts of the channel.
Related stories
• June 3, 2025 — Valley Water chief is suspended but still taking tax-funded trips
• Dec. 20, 2024 — Valley Water threatens to exit San Francisquito Creek flood abatement agency
• May 5, 2024 — Valley Water wants sheriff to seize document from board member