(SAN RAMON, CA.) – In an interview with Chirag Kathrani, the founder of opgov.news, Rishabh Rao shares his motivations behind running for the board of directors for the Zone 7 Water Agency.
Photo Credit: youtube.com / Rishabh Rao
Before the interview commences, Kathrani asks Rao to clarify what exactly this role is.
Rao goes on to explain that Zone 7 manages all of the water infrastructure throughout the Livermore Valley to the Hayward Associated Students, Incorporated.
This area, he says, contains about 250,000 ratepayers, or people who pay into the infrastructure.
With this context in place, Rao begins to explain more about himself.
A resident of the Tri-Valley for the past 18 years, he wishes to serve his community by addressing the problems he claims are overlooked by the older community members that are currently in charge.
“They’re just here for the next 10, 20 years. But we really need to build a sustainable water infrastructure for the next 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years.”
Photo Credit: youtube.com / Rishabh Rao
To support his claim, Rao cites a case taking place in Pleasanton, CA., which is also supplied water by Zone 7, where there have been high levels of harmful chemicals in the water system since at least 2022.
He explains that the way Pleasanton has decided to deal with this problem, detailed in the article linked above, is a result of older members of the community who do not recognize it as a big problem.
Rao also stresses the importance of prioritizing the ratepayers and consumers over any private interests that Zone 7 might have.
“Keeping the consumers and the ratepayers in mind should be the top priority of the agency, [... not their] private interests. I see a number of projects that [...] could be deemed as frivolous that come from a more aged practice,” he says, “Newer issues like [...] forever chemicals are not being handled with the [same] scrupulousness [as] some of the older projects.”
He specifically wants to target projects that prioritize the few over the many, looking at where the money for said projects is going and whether they’re addressing both new and old issues.
“The issues of a few should not dictate how the rate payers in the community are affected.”
Furthermore, Rao asserts that residential consumers should be treated no differently than commercial consumers.
“Everyone deserves clean, reliable water. It’s a basic human right,” he states.
Switching gears, Kathrani brings up those currently in position and the other candidates running for the board of directors of Zone 7.
Photo Credit: youtube.com / Chirag Kathrani
In Rao’s opinion, many of the other candidates running for this position are “single issue” and have niche track records of experience.
He goes on to mention his early introduction to Zone 7 through a program they previously hosted. Participating in it during 7th grade, Rao won an award during this program and went on to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.
He also explains that he recently visited the different facilities and sites that belong to Zone 7 as one way of further educating himself on this infrastructure.
Further details on Rao’s experience can be found here.
Using his experiences in STEM, his relationship with Zone 7, and his ideas of prioritizing the many over the few, Rao explains that he sees this role as a way to contribute to a scientific community in a scientific way.
Nearing the end of the interview, Kathrani inquires of Rao what his first actions would be if elected to this position.
Rao then expresses his wish to educate the youth and the public in general about how their water is recycled, where it comes from and the water infrastructure in general.
Without such knowledge, he explains, it makes it easier for officials to make decisions that the public might not be aware of or fully understand.
If you have any questions, please email me at madison.v@lead4earth.org or comment below.
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