Tom Crosby for T.U.D. November 3, 2026
A Brief History of your candidate:
In the 1950s my family lived in Yucaipa California a town similar in size, age & elevation to Sonora. We had a farm and became co-owner/operators of Triple Falls Mutual Water company. I grew up on tractors moving dirt and rocks, hanging out with the crew and a DitchWitch putting in pipes. Mom did the books and billing, Dad and others pitched in with maintenance and system expansion. My sister and I watered many acres of Monterey Pines we then sold in the area as Christmas Trees for ourcollege fund.
In the 1970s the State began regulation and policy changes to consolidate independent water companies including ours. My parents moved closer to town, I graduated from high-school got married and served in the military for 8 years as the Vietnam conflict ended. We had three children during those years. I was recruited by Hewlett Packard’s new Business Computer Enterprise in the early 1980s, my wife joined up with Apple Computer. We started gaining grandchildren (nine) and took on aging parents. In 2010 we purchased a home in Sonora and retired back to our rural roots. Up until last year we had four generations living here. We have come full circle now with two tractors still moving dirt and rock and if you vote for me I’ll be back at a water company.
Addressing the Cost:
Rain and snow are free but reliable water at the tap is NOT. Our bill is “rent” on storage, conveyance, treatment plants, operations and the legal right to protect our source of water.
Tuolumne’s historic and expansive 72 mile ditch system uses surface water with turbidity, organics and microbes which requires expensive processing. 95% of our water flows through the ditch. It is the expense of quality that drives up the cost.
The Grant Funding Paradox:
TUD relies heavily on state and federal grants for infrastructure overhauls like the Phoenix Lake restoration and the Sierra Pines Treatment Facility. Grant guidelines forbid using funds for basic, daily operational costs like utility staff payroll, chemical treatment, or emergency repairs. The system must prove it is self-sustaining via customer billing to even qualify for grants.
Proposition 218 Legal Constraints:
California law mandates a strict relationship between costs and fees. TUD cannot “overcharge” commercial, raw-water, or agricultural clients. Every customer tier must pay a mathematically fair proportion of what it costs to serve them.
Practical Leadership:
Controlling capital expenditures and minimizing operational overhead is the only viable path to a stabilized bill. These are the actions I will advocate for on behalf of Rate Payers like you and me:
- Continue consolidating fragmented infrastructure when and where appropriate.
- Modernize the Ditch, prioritizing leaky sections while retaining their historic appeal.
- Creating a dedicated “Rate Stabilization Reserve” in a restricted high interest fund as a financial shock absorber to deal with unanticipated emergencies.
- Maximize Non-Operational State “Capital Grants” and loans for projects that do not add directly to Capital Improvement Plan debt.
- Get the PG&E deal done if at all possible to secure our future
The Reality for Rate-Payers:
These actions are designed to prevent future sudden rate shocks. They work in tandem with the automatic TUD Rate Schedule adjustments to ensure that once the planned infrastructure catch-up window closes, bills flatten out to match regular inflation. 66% of TUD operating cost is the excellent employees that make everything happen. Their costs will likely rise (as everything else does) in the years ahead so we need to be efficient and effective with our staff.