Eligible petitioners are the owners of the majority of land (acres) within the area of the proposed district.  “The holders of title to a majority in area of land which is capable of using water beneficially for irrigation, domestic, industrial or municipal purposes and which can be serviced from common sources of supply and by the same system of works, may petition for the formation of a district.” (Water Code § 34153). 

Only landowners within the district are eligible to vote on district matters.

Petitioners must observe the following Water Code requirements when obtaining written corporate authorization on petition or voting proxy:

35004. Every voter, or his legal representative, may vote at any district election either in person or by a person duly appointed as his proxy.

35005. No appointment of a proxy shall be valid, accepted, or vote allowed thereon at any district election unless it meets all of the following requirements:

(a) It is in writing.

(b) It is executed by the person or legal representative of the person who, in accordance with the provisions of Sections 35003 or 35003.1 is entitled to the votes for which the proxy is given.

(c) It is acknowledged or certified in accordance with Section 2015.5 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(d) It specifies the election at which it is to be used. An appointment of a proxy shall be used only at the election specified.

(e) It shall be on a form as specified by the county elections official meeting the above requirements.

Every appointment of a proxy is revocable at the pleasure of the person executing it at any time before the person appointed as proxy shall have cast a ballot representing the votes for which the appointment was given.

Votes to form the district are allocated by acreage.  Each voter shall have one vote for each acre of land (based on County Assessor’s Parcel Records) to which he or she holds title.  (Water Code § 35003) If a voter owns less than one acre then the voter shall be entitled to one vote. 

No. Land ownership is quite diverse within Alexander Valley.  There are about 28,900 acres, 1,956 parcels and 1,400 discrete landowners within the proposed district boundary. The largest landowner owns only 5.7% of the total acreage.  

Conforming to the Principal Act, there will be five directors initially elected.  The district board of directors can increase the number of directors to 7, 9 or 11 after the district has existed for four or more years. (Water Code § 34708) 

A landowner within the district; a landowner’s “legal representative” (e.g., guardian or executor of an estate, or authorized officer of a corporation or other entity); or a landowner’s representative designated in writing (Water Code §§ 34700, 34030)