On Thursday, October 27, 2022, leaders in water, business, labor, agriculture, and nonprofits joined us for our annual meeting, a dinner with award presentations, and a keynote by State Water Resources Control Board Vice Chair Dorene D’Adamo on the state of California water and an update on efforts to expand uses of recycled water and reuse.
San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Sandra Kerl introduces keynote speaker Dorene D’Adamo, Vice Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board.
SCWC held its annual Board meeting prior to the dinner and State Senator John Laird joined the group via Zoom web conference to talk about water infrastructure funding. The dinner followed with nearly 300 people attended. Two awards were given out to outstanding members of SCWC for their work.
A.G. Kawamura Recognized with Harriett M. Wieder Award
A.G. Kawamura received the 2022 Harriett M. Wieder Award for his holistic water leadership. He is third-generation fruit and vegetable grower and shipper from Orange County and the former Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (2003-2010). He is co-chair of Solutions From the Land, a non-profit organization that collaborates with farmers, ranchers, foresters and stakeholders to implement climate smart land management practices and strategies.
A.G. Kawamura won the 2022 Harriett M. Wieder Award for his holistic water leadership. He was unable to attend and Paul Cook, GM of IRWD, accepted the award on his behalf.
In addition to his longtime service on the SCWC Board, Kawamura currently serves on several boards and committees including: The Ag Advisory Committee for the AGree Initiative; the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources (BANR), a policy arm of the National Academy of Sciences’ Natural Resource Council; Ag Advisory Committee for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs; Trustee for the Council on Agriculture, Science and Technology (CAST); American Farmland Trust; The 25x’25 Alliance, a national alliance of renewable energy stakeholders; Advisory Committee for the Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI) at U.C. Davis. He is a former chair and current board member of Western Growers Association. As a progressive urban farmer, Kawamura has a lifetime of experience working within the shrinking rural and urban boundaries of Southern California. Kawamura graduated with a BA from UC Berkeley and was participated in the California Ag Leadership Program.
Patty Cortez Wins Kathy Cole Award
Patty Cortez’s legislative work in California water in general and as Co-Chair of SCWC’s Legislative Task Force was recognized with the Kathy Cole Award. Cortez is the Mayor of the City of Covina and the Executive Director of Government and Community Affairs at the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District. She has over fifteen years of diversified experience in the management of public relation campaigns, public affairs and crisis communications. Patty is responsible for managing the District’s legislative agenda, public relations and educational outreach to the community.
Tony Fellow, Upper San Gabriel Valley Water District Board member, presents the 2022 Kathy Cole Award to Patty Cortez, Covina City Mayor and Executive Manager of Government and Community Affairs of USGVWD.
Prior to joining Upper District, Patty was a Public Affairs Manager for Edison International in the Legislative Affairs division. There, she managed public outreach programs for Edison’s legislative priorities and new infrastructure projects. Patty also served as a District Representative for Congressman Gary Miller and has extensive experience in public relations with Formula PR, where she developed national PR campaigns for sports and entertainment clients.
Highlighting SCWC Board Members
The annual SCWC dinner and meeting brings together an amazing group of leaders from across Southern California to network, share ideas and learn more about the challenges facing California’s water supply.
We also debuted a new video highlighting our accomplishments of the year and many of our hard-working and inspiring Board members! The evening’s festivities not only shine a light on the work we do but will also help us further the education and advocacy we conduct about the region’s water supply challenges and opportunities.
SCWC Board Chair and San Bernardino County Supervisor Janice Rutherford and SCWC Executive Director Charley Wilson, as Supervisor Rutherford is recognized for her service as SCWC Board Chair.
- Inland Empire Utilities Agency
- Irvine Ranch Water District
- Los Angeles County Public Works
- Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
- Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
- Riverside County Flood Control Water Conservation District
- West Basin Municipal Water District
Wine sponsored by Robert Renzoni Vineyards, providing an award-winning Sangiovese for our guests to enjoy.
View more photos on our Flickr page at this link.
Dorene D’Adamo, Vice Chair, State Water Resources Control Board, makes keynote remarks at the SCWC Annual Dinner at the Long Beach Hilton on Oct. 27, 2022.