BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer
The race to represent northern Santa Clara County on the Valley Water board is between an embattled incumbent running on her accomplishments and a challenger who says she’s been ineffective.
Board member Rebecca Eisenberg – who was removed from her committee assignments for taking a report without permission – is facing off against Los Altos Councilman Pete Dailey. In an interview, Dailey criticized Eisenberg for interrupting and disrespecting employees at board meetings.
“Right now we have a director who has been kicked out of meetings because she cannot follow regular order,” Dailey said.
Eisenberg’s colleagues removed her from a collaboration of agencies trying to stop flooding from the San Francisquito Creek in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park. She was replaced by Valley Water board member Nai Hsueh, of Saratoga, who has pushed Valley Water to change its commitments to flood protection along the creek.
“It’s almost like taxation without representation,” Dailey said about the situation in Palo Alto.
Eisenberg said she’s been targeted since her first meeting in December 2022 because she wouldn’t go along with the status quo.
“From that day, some of my colleagues and district leadership were out to get rid of me,” she said in an interview on Tuesday.
Eisenberg said she’s delivered on her promises despite the retaliation.
For example, Eisenberg said she helped stop Valley Water from expanding Pacheco Reservoir, a $3.2 billion project east of Gilroy. She would rather invest in recycled water projects.
Eisenberg also said she helped expose CEO Rick Callender, who stepped down on March 1 after an investigator found he sexually harassed two female employees.
Callender sent the women photos of his crotch, pressured them to spend time with him outside of work and commented on their physical appearance, the investigator said in a report.
“I kept hammering home that we’re obligated to share the results of (the report) Once the truth came out, the consequences happened,” Eisenberg said.
Eisenberg said Valley Water is on the verge of a new era, with Callender gone and board member Tony Estremera leaving after 30 years.
“If I was able to accomplish all this without the support of many of my colleagues, then imagine the progress, the success, the value I’ll be able to deliver to my bosses – the public, the ratepayers – moving forward. That’s why I’m running,” Eisenberg said.
Eisenberg said she’s backed by the same supporters who pushed her to unseat board member Gary Kremen in November 2022, including retired Judge LaDoris Cordell and former Palo Alto Mayor Liz Kniss.
Eisenberg made her name in local politics as a frequent commenter at Palo Alto City Council meetings.
The Valley Water board investigated Eisenberg for violating board policies against discrimination and abusive conduct shortly after she took office.
The investigator’s report faulted Eisenberg for saying her colleagues are “boomers” and for calling District Counsel Carlos Orellano incompetent and unethical, leaving him “visibly shaken and near tears.”
Eisenberg took the 2,000-page report from Valley Water’s offices without permission in January, and Valley Water sued her to get the report back.
“They’ve done whatever they’ve can to disempower me, but I’ve still delivered on my promises,” Eisenberg said.
Dailey said he voted for Eisenberg, thinks she’s smart and agrees with her values. But he said Eisenberg would be better suited in an activist role that’s less constrained by rules.
Dailey said he’s been interested in water since his hometown of Marysville flooded in high school, washing away a chunk of the city and killing several people.
“It was quite a visceral and formative experience as a teenager,” he said.
Dailey said he wants to require AI data centers to report their water usage on a monthly basis and to partner with county officials to build housing for the homeless on Valley Water’s land.
Dailey said his top priority is flood control.
“Ultimately the responsibility to protect life and limb is the highest priority and outweighs some of the aesthetic concerns that residents may have,” he said.
Dailey said he’ll focus on teamwork. He’s endorsed by his colleagues on council, Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga and District Attorney Jeff Rosen.
Dailey is self-funding his campaign with $45,000.
He’s received $7,500 from two labor unions, campaign finance forms show.
Dailey, 57, founded a cable TV company in South Korea and then sold the company.
Eisenberg, 58, has worked as a corporate attorney for companies like PayPal. She hasn’t reported any fundraising.
Dailey and Eisenberg are running for a seat that includes Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and parts of south San Jose.
Valley Water collects property taxes in northern Santa Clara County for flood control but doesn’t provide water in the area. Palo Alto’s water comes from the Hetch Hetchy system, controlled by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Valley Water has an $811 million annual operating budget.