 Hello, I'm Joe Cravoza, your Mayor. Voters in Davis are once again faced with a decision about water. Measure P asks you to strike down our current water rates. I urge you to vote no on Measure P. Last March, in our city-wide Measure I vote, the citizens of Davis approved our new water supply project. We should be justifiably proud of our new system. The project will drastically reduce our unsustainable reliance on groundwater. And it offers the best long-term cost controls. By partnering with Woodland, downsizing the project, and with the highly favorable construction bidding environment, project costs have been dramatically reduced. Measure P challenges the rates needed to pay for our water supply infrastructure. So let's address the rates. First, we have gone through an open and exhaustive process to determine and approve the new rates. Two years ago, after considerable public input and deliberation, our Water Advisory Committee, made up of 10 hard-working and distinguished members of our community, recommended the best water rate structure for Davis. The City Council then approved the new rates in December of 25 that were confirmed via a Proposition 218 public notification process. The opponents of the rates then took their case to court. Just this past January, Yolo County Superior Court upheld these rates as fully compliant with all applicable laws. Now, second, what can I tell you about the rates themselves? The new rates are based on a simple and just idea. Everyone pays their fair share, both for the water they use and for the system that brings them their water. The adopted rates promote fairness for those who don't use much water, often seniors, low-income residents, and those in apartments or with small lots. Measure P's proponents focus on waters per gallon price to distract you from what your water bill pays for, mostly the infrastructure costs and the high costs of summer water that the city must pay. Simply put, not every gallon costs the same to deliver, and those who use the most in the summer months should pay correspondingly more for the infrastructure and water costs of their use. Of all available alternatives, the new rates offer the fairest pricing, asking each of us to pay our share of the costs for the water we consume. We should not be asked to pay for the water needed by others. That's simply not fair. How will this impact all of us? Our water bills are going up. There is no question about that. Our rates have been low as we have stretched out the use of our antiquated wells, but now we need a new, reliable system. But the new water rate structure produces the lowest bills for the greatest number of ratepayers. Approximately two-thirds of residential ratepayers will pay less under the new rate structure than they would have under a rate structure like the one we used to have. Importantly, the approved rates create a strong incentive for conservation and greatly reduce the possibility that we will ever need to expand our water supply system in the future. Concerns about the impact of water conservation on the city's landscape are misplaced. Experts agree that most yards are over-watered. Yards water deeply but less frequently enjoy better health. Many have already planted beautiful, colorful, water-efficient landscapes that are also capable of keeping our trees healthy. My wife Janet and I did so a few years ago. We bought our plants at the UC Davis Arboretum's plant sale and local nurseries. We love the new look and the low maintenance. Our current drought underscores our need to carefully protect our water resources and move forward with our supply project. The project exemplifies this wise strategy, diversifying our supply to include Sacramento River water, continuing use of our high-quality deep wells when necessary, repurposing lower-quality wells for park irrigation, and reducing consumers' needs for inefficient home treatment systems. Our approved water rate structure is fairness and has basic water needs are being served and incentivized by conservation. Please vote no on Measure P to continue our progress toward a clean, reliable, long-term water supply. Thank you.