WMA CAG
WMA Citizen Advisory Group (CAG)
Purpose of the Citizens Advisory Group
SGMA required the Committee to consider the interests of diverse social, cultural, and economic elements of the population within the WMA during the development of the GSP, including the interests of all beneficial uses and users of groundwater. Collaborative and inclusive processes make the GSP more effective by increasing public buy-in, promoting compliance, and enhancing the quality of information on which the GSP is based. The Committee maintains a current list of organizations and people who receive notices of GSA Committee meetings and other SGMA-related activities. The CAG provides an additional level of public input to the Committee in a way that represents different categories of groundwater uses and users in the WMA.
To ensure an effective and collaborative process, the Committee will appoint members to the CAG who reflect a diversity of interests and different types of groundwater uses and users in the WMA. The CAG will provide input to the Committee relating to various elements or sections of the GSP, including but not limited to those pertaining to stakeholder engagement, data management, the hydrogeologic conceptual model and numeric groundwater model, water budgets, sustainability goals, monitoring programs, and projects and management actions.
Roles and Responsibilities
The Committee is solely responsible for all matters relating to the CAG, including but not limited to formation, membership, function, organization, operation, management, and dissolution. The Committee may request that WMA GSA member agency staff assist the CAG.
Staff Role. Responsibility for the administrative aspects of the CAG process may be delegated to staff from the member agencies of the WMA GSA. At the request of the Committee, staff will schedule CAG meetings, prepare and circulate agendas, distribute materials to the CAG members for review, facilitate meetings, prepare meeting minutes, and undertake other related tasks.
CAG Role. At times determined by the Committee, CAG members will be asked to provide input or recommendations on various elements or sections of the GSP and related topics. In addition to providing their personal perspectives, CAG members represent different categories of groundwater uses and users in the WMA. All CAG members are expected to work collaboratively among themselves, with other stakeholders and members of the public, with the Committee, with member agency staff, and with other GSAs and agencies throughout the Santa Ynez River Valley Groundwater Basin. CAG members may be asked to develop comments and input on topics, recognizing there may not always be consensus. CAG input will be considered by the Committee in the process of implementing the WMA GSP and in coordinating those efforts with the EMA GSA and the CMA GSA. Members of the CAG serve voluntarily at the pleasure of the Committee. All CAG members are expected to commit time and effort to support the implementation of the GSP and serve for at least one year.
Governance
All matters relating to the CAG, including but not limited to the formation, membership, function, organization, operation, management, and dissolution of the CAG shall remain within the sole discretion of the Committee. Procedural items relating to the CAG are set forth below.
Applications and Selection. Interested individuals must complete and submit the attached Application Form. The Committee, or an ad hoc subcommittee that may include member agency staff, will review and evaluate applications. The evaluation process may include applicant interviews. The Committee will select CAG members as needs arise or as vacancies occur.
Composition. The Committee will select up to seven (7) members to serve on the CAG.
Term. CAG members are expected to serve at least one year but do not serve for any specific period.
Dismissal. CAG members serve at will and at the pleasure of the Committee. At its sole discretion, the Committee may dismiss any or all members of the CAG at any time, with or without cause.
Vacancies. When a vacancy occurs on the CAG, the Committee may appoint a new member without conducting a new application process.
Meetings. CAG meetings will be held on an as-needed and as-available basis, generally about four times a year.
