Politics & Government

Former Piedmont Mayor Elected Vice President of EBMUD Board

Former Piedmont Mayor Katy Foulkes was unanimously elected Tuesday as board vice president of the East Bay Municipal Utility District. Foulkes was first elected to the board in 1994 and has been re-elected four times.

The board of the East Bay's water agency, East Bay MUD, unanimously elected Katy Foulkes, a former mayor of Piedmont, as its new vice president Tuesday.

The seven-member board also picked Andy Katz of Berkeley as the new president.

Foulkes succeeds Katz, who just completed a two-year term as vice president. She has previously served as the board president from 2000 to 2002 and as vice president from 1996 to 2000.

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"I look forward to working with Andy Katz and continuing to provide great water and reliable wastewater services for our customers,” Foulkes said in a statement contained in an East Bay MUD news release.

She represents Ward 3, which includes Piedmont, Orinda, Moraga, El Sobrante and parts of Oakland, Richmond and Pinole.

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A UC Berkeley graduate, Foulkes lives in Piedmont with her husband Dave. 

Here is the full EBMUD news release:

The East Bay Municipal Utility District Board of Directors elects Berkeley’s Andy Katz President and Piedmont’s Katy Foulkes vice president 

Doug Linney of Alameda, Lesa R. McIntosh of Richmond and William B. Patterson of Oakland, all reelected in November, began new four-year terms on the Board

OAKLAND – Andy Katz was unanimously elected Tuesday President of the EBMUD Board of Directors for 2013, succeeding John A. Coleman of Lafayette. Coleman completed a two year term in which Katz served as vice president.

Katz, first elected to the Board in 2006 and reelected in 2010, represents Ward 4, which includes the cities of Albany, Berkeley and Emeryville and a portion of Oakland as well as El Cerrito and Kensington. Katz, who resides in Berkeley, is an environmental attorney and clean air advocate for Breathe California. Prior to joining EBMUD’s Board of Directors he served five years as a member of the Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of City Planning degree from U.C. Berkeley, and a Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University.

“I am excited to lead the District at a time when there are many challenges, from finance to infrastructure repair and a need for increased conservation and the generation of more clean energy,” said Katz. “I assure all of our customers I enthusiastically embrace these challenges that pose new opportunities for all of us.”

Katy Foulkes of Piedmont was unanimously elected vice president. Foulkes represents Ward 3, which includes the City of Piedmont and a portion of Oakland in Alameda County and the cities of Orinda and El Sobrante; Town of Moraga and portions of Pinole and Richmond in Contra Costa County. Foulkes, who served on the Piedmont City Council and as Piedmont Mayor, was first elected to the Board in 1994 and reelected in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010. Foulkes served as Vice President of the Board from 1996 to 2000 and President from 2000 to 2002.

Until recently, Foulkes served on the Alameda County Local Agency Formation Commission representing special districts, and represents EBMUD on joint powers agencies with the Sacramento area and the counties of Amador, Calaveras and Alpine.

"I look forward to working with Andy Katz and continuing to provide great water and reliable wastewater services for our customers,” said Foulkes, a graduate of U.C. Berkeley who resides in Piedmont with her husband, Dave. 

In addition to the election of new officers, three Board members who were unopposed in November’s election began new four-year terms on the board.

Doug Linney of Alameda began another term representing Ward 5, which includes the cities of Alameda and San Lorenzo; West Oakland and Oakland Airport Area and a portion of San Leandro.

Linney, who is president of the Next Generation public relations firm specializing in environmental protection, was first elected to the Board in 2000 and subsequently reelected in 2004, 2008 and 2012. He was Board President in 2009 and 2010, following a two-year stint as Board Vice President. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science and public policy from U.C. Davis.

Richmond’s Lesa R. McIntosh, who represents Ward 1, also began a new four-year term on the seven-member Board. Ward 1 includes the cities of Crockett, Hercules, Rodeo, and San Pablo; portion of Richmond and Pinole, and the communities of North Richmond and Selby.

McIntosh was appointed to the board in 1999 to fill the unexpired term of former Director John Gioia. She was elected in 2000 and reelected in 2004, 2008 and 2012. She was Vice President of the Board in 2005 and 2006 and served as President in 2007 and 2008. McIntosh earned a Bachelor of Science in Political Science at U.C. Berkeley and holds a law degree from John F. Kennedy University. She has a law practice in Richmond, specializing in business, land use and estate planning.

And William B. Patterson of Oakland also began another four-year term on the Board, representing Ward 6, includes part of Oakland - East Oakland and south of Park Boulevard and Fifth Avenue - to the San Leandro city boundary. Patterson, a longtime community activist and former Oakland Parks and Recreation manager, was appointed to the Board to fill the unexpired term of former Director Kenneth H. Simmons in 1997 and subsequently elected in 1998 and reelected in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. He served as Board President in 2005 and 2006, following two years as vice president.

Patterson received his bachelor and masters degrees from San Francisco State University and did graduate study at U.C. Berkeley. Patterson, well known for decades of community service, resides in Oakland.

EBMUD’s Board of Directors consists of seven members publicly elected by geographical wards. Frank Mellon of Castro Valley represents Ward 7 and rounds out the Board. 

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