The backstory
A reader asked us for information about this race. Richmondside listened. While we have a small staff and can't cover everything we would like to, a reader's email prompted us to put together this article about the EBMUD board election.
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This story was updated to correct that the San Pablo water treatment plan is in Kensington and the Richmond Annex does receive wastewater services from EBMUD.
When Richmond residents think of the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), they probably think of the water streaming from the faucet in their home.
However, Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia says there’s a lot more to the district than just running water.
Gioia, who served on the EBMUD board from 1989 to 1998 before being elected as the supervisor for west Contra Costa County, says EBMUD is valuable to Richmond residents in a number of other ways.
The district, which is governed by a seven-member board of directors, sets water rates and is responsible for maintaining water quality and water pressure — something that’s critical for fighting wildfires and coping with other natural disasters.
That’s why Gioia encourages voters to not overlook the Ward 3 EBMUD board of directors race on the Nov. 3 ballot.
“They should care about the election because you want someone on the board who understands the system,” said Gioia, who grew up in the Richmond and El Cerrito areas. “You want someone with experience in this field.”
One contested EBMUD board seat in November election
Three of the seven wards of the EBMUD board represent parts of west Contra Costa County, with members serving four-year terms. The wards are:
Ward 1, which includes the cities of Crockett, Hercules, Rodeo and San Pablo as well as parts of Richmond and Pinole. It is represented by Joey Smith, whose seat is up for election in 2028.
Ward 4, which includes the city of El Cerrito and the community of Kensington. It is represented by Andy Katz, who was reappointed by the EBMUD board in August for a new four-year term after no one filed to run against him in the November election.
Ward 3, which includes Oakland, Piedmont and El Sobrante as well as portions of Pinole and Richmond. There are two candidates vying for this board seat.
Marguerite Young, the incumbent, is seeking re-election to a fourth term. She was first elected in 2014. Young’s campaign slogan is “Promises Made, Promises Kept.”
On her campaign website, Young states that she has kept her promise to expand water conservation and recycling as well as replace aging pipelines, keep water rates affordable, protect the Mokelumne River and take action on climate change issues.
Before joining the EBMUD board, Young was the California director of Clean Water Action. She also co-founded the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water group. The Oakland resident earned a degree in natural resources economics from UC Berkeley.
Challenging her is Donald Gray, a retired wastewater manager. Gray promises to employ “innovative approaches” to ensure high-quality service and the “lowest responsible rates” for EBMUD customers.
Gray was a manager of technical and emerging issues at the time of his retirement after 30 years at EBMUD.
On his campaign website, Gray says the next four years could be crucial for water agencies. He sees a number of issues that need to be dealt with, including microplastics and “forever chemicals” known as PFAs in water supplies.
Gray is a licensed civil engineer and a Grade 5 wastewater treatment plant operator in California. He earned a bachelor’s of science degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in environmental engineering before obtaining a doctorate in civil/environmental engineering from UC Berkeley.
Richmondside reached out to both candidates for comment but they didn’t reply as of publication time. You can read their ballot statements for more information.
EBMUD is known for its high quality drinking water
EBMUD was established as a not-for-profit public agency in 1923. It provides drinking water for 1.5 million customers in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Nearly every household and business in Richmond gets its water from EBMUD.
EBMUD also provides wastewater services for 740,000 customers. Most of Richmond is not part of this system although the Richmond Annex neighborhood is.
EBMUD water rates rose by 6.5% in 2025 and another 6.5% in 2026. The increase added $3.77 per month to the average EBMUD bill in 2025 and tacked on an additional $4.30 per month starting on July 1, 2026.
The rate hikes were imposed to help pay for EBMUD’s 10-year $713 million capital improvement program. The board of directors approved those hikes when they approved the district’s budget.
The largest project under that plan is a major renovation of EBMUD’s water treatment plant in Orinda, which supplies most of Richmond’s water. That project is expected to be completed in early 2027.
EBMUD also has treatment plants in El Sobrante and Kensington as well as in Oakland, Lafayette and Walnut Creek.
EBMUD officials take pride in what they describe as high quality water.
The district draws most of its water from the Mokelumne River in the Sierra Nevada. The water is delivered to the Bay Area via a 90-mile system of aqueducts and pipelines. No pumps are needed because it’s a downhill route from the Sierra to EBMUD reservoirs.
“They like to refer to it as ‘snowflake to tap,’ ” Gioia told Richmondside.
The county supervisor points out that overseeing water quality and water rates are two of the EBMUD board’s most important jobs.
He notes, however, that there are other responsibilities.
One of them is to make sure that there’s sufficient water pressure available to firefighters in case of wildfires.
“Our water supply is not only vital for our health, it’s vital for wildfire suppression,” he said.
He adds that EBMUD is also responsible for nearby reservoirs such as Briones and San Pablo between eastern Richmond and Orinda, as well as the property that surrounds those bodies of water.
“The district does have a land management role,” Gioia said.
It is also responsible for making sure its customers have enough water in times of draught.
“East Bay MUD has handled this list of issues well in the past and is in a good place with its water supply,” Gioia said.
Read more about the Nov. 3 election
For more local election stories and voter resources, visit Richmondside’s voters guide.
Vote for Donald Gray! EBMUD ratepayers need promising NEW leadership- not an incumbent that minimized retaliation complaints that resulted in a MAJOR LAWSUIT (Pierce v EBMUD) that cost water ratepayers in 2026, OVER 9 MILLION DOLLARS!!! Soon, we will discover, after plaintiff and EBMUD lawyer fees are calculated, that ratepayers lost close to 20 million dollars!!!
As an EBMUD retiree and a Ward 3 resident, I appreciate the coverage of this race. One thing to note: it is not entirely correct to say that all of Richmond does not receive wastewater treatment from EBMUD. The Richmond Annex neighborhood is part of EBMUD’s wastewater system.
Hi George, Thanks for reading and for pointing that out!
One other thing: “San Pablo” is the name of one of EBMUD’s treatment plants, but it’s not in San Pablo. It is located in Kensington.