As Measure J stokes the debate over public water, a look at how Cal Am is leading the way.

While those of us in Monterey County only know their local operations, California American Water is a statewide organization that enjoys good community relationships throughout the state. In fact, several communities have asked California American Water to take over their water service in the last few years, so they can enjoy the service, engineering, conservation and low-income programs Cal Am offers.

California American Water and its parent American Water are leaders in diversity. The California American Water board of directors is half people of color and is 40-percent female. At the American Water level, the board and leadership team are both more than 50-percent female. In fact, American Water has the highest proportion of female board members among the S&P 500 companies.

American Water also has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2025. Customers have reduced water use by 3.5 billion gallons. American Water as a whole has a compliance record on drinking water that is 20 times better than the national average. Locally this means award-winning conservation programs, and water loss that is a model for the nation.

Why I am telling you all of this? Because this is the California American Water that I have come to know, and some of this information is being left out of the debate about Measure J. The 90 employees who work for Cal Am in Monterey do a great job, and I will vote to have them continue reporting to work for the same employer.

We also need to look at possible conflicts of interest. Should the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District, which is doing the feasibility study, be the same group to vote on whether to condemn? If George Riley, leader of the Yes on J campaign wins a seat on that board, does he have a conflict of interest? There are plenty of other questions that need to be answered that are great cause for concern.

The current law governing water system condemnation went into effect in 1997. Since that time, no water system takeover in California has produced savings. Yes on J materials and the Weeklycover story last week (“Measure J gives Monterey Peninsula voters a shot at a public water buyout. Cal Am is fighting back with everything it’s got,” Oct. 4-10) say they have, but only looked at water bills, not that the property tax increase people received also. For instance, could the typical water bill in Monterey go down from about $75 to $70? Maybe, but typical customers will also have a charge of about $150/month or $1,800/year added to their tax bill. Those numbers are based on a recent appraisal that uses the methodology widely accepted for valuing water systems.

Measure J is complex, and for many it is an emotional issue. For me, there are simply too many uncertainties and risks, and too much expense. I recommend a no vote on Nov. 6.

JODY HANSEN President and CEO of Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.