Water veteran Treviño returns to Metropolitan Water District’s board of directors

Charles M. Treviño, a San Gabriel Valley water leader, has been reelected to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California representing the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District (USGVMWD). He succeeds Michael Touhey on Metropolitan’s 38-member board.

Touhey had served as a Metropolitan board member since February 2013 but was ousted by the Monrovia-based USGVMWD earlier this month. Led by board member Ed Chavez, the vote was 4-1 to replace Touhey with Trevino. Although not a requirement, the USGVWD opted to have their representative to the Metropolitan Board be an elected official.

Treviño, a resident of South Pasadena, is a Vietnam veteran having served in the U.S. Army. He earned an associate’s degree from Los Angeles Trade Technical College followed by a bachelor’s degree in political science from California State University at Los Angeles. Additionally, he earned a teaching credential from UCLA, master’s degree in school management and an administrative credential from San Diego’s Point Loma Nazarene University. He was employed by the Los Angeles Unified School District as a teacher and administrator until his retirement in 2002.

Treviño’s water sector experience also includes 10 years on Central Basin Municipal Water District’s Board of Directors, to which he was first elected in 1994. Treviño was first elected to Upper District’s Board of Directors in November 2008 and served two consecutive four-year terms, representing all or parts of Arcadia, Rosemead, San Gabriel, South Pasadena, South San Gabriel, and Temple City. During his Upper District tenure, he served as board president in 2011 and vice president in both 2009 and 2010.

Currently Treviño is the Upper District’s representative to the Association of California Water Agencies’ Joint Powers Insurance Authority and the San Gabriel Valley Protective Association. He is also a board member of the Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster. Additionally, he is a member of the Los Angeles County Water Appeals Board, the vice president of the Los Angeles County Commission for Older Adults, and a former chair of the South Pasadena Senior Commission.

Treviño had worked for Metropolitan Water for several years, retiring in 2014 as principal public affairs representative. Prior to that Treviño had served the water district as a government affairs representative.

Treviño will attend his first Metropolitan board meeting as its newest member next month.