By Sara Beth Williams—
Two new candidates running for the San Juan Water Board of Directors this November are current members of the Citrus Heights Water District’s Customer Advisory Committee.
Three of the board’s five geographic divisions, Divisions 1, 3 and 5, are up for election this year. Directors serve four-year terms and, although elected by residents of their respective divisions, are required to represent the interests of the entire district.
The five-member San Juan Water District board oversees the community services district responsible for providing wholesale water to several local water agencies, including Citrus Heights Water District, Fair Oaks Water District, Orange Vale Water Company, the district’s own retail service area and the portion of Folsom north of the American River.
Division 1:
Two candidates are qualified for the Division 1 seat. George C. Machado is running as the incumbent against Michael Nishimura.
Nishimura is listed by Sacramento County Elections as a nutrition services worker. Citrus Heights Water District’s current Customer Advisory Committee page identifies Nishimura as the CAC Vice Chair.
Machado was appointed by the San Juan Water District board in September 2025 to fill the vacancy created by Rich’s resignation.
Before joining the board, Machado worked for San Juan Water District for more than 25 years, eventually retiring as its field services manager in 2020. In his application for the board vacancy, Machado said his work included overseeing maintenance, construction, cross-connection control and regulatory compliance programs for the district’s wholesale and retail systems.
Machado’s appointment runs through the November 2026 election. Machado is endorsed by the Republican party.
Division 1 is one of two San Juan Water District divisions shared between Sacramento and Placer counties.
Division 3:
The Division 3 race is between incumbent Edward J. “Ted” Costa and Joan Pederson.
Costa is the current president of the San Juan Water District Board and has served since 2022. Costa is endorsed by the Republican party.
Pederson is listed by Sacramento County Elections as retired.
A third candidate, Aaron Wilson Arterberry, initially appeared in the candidate filing information but did not qualify for or complete the filing process to be placed on the ballot. Sacramento County lists Arterberry as “Did Not File.”
Division 5:
Three candidates are competing for the Division 5 seat, including incumbent Manuel Zamorano, and candidates Andrew L. Johnson and Kevin Furry.
Johnson is listed as a licensed utilities engineer, while Furry is listed as a business owner.
Citrus Heights Water District’s current Customer Advisory Committee page identifies Johnson as the CAC chair and a member. His profile says he and his family have lived in the Orangevale/Citrus Heights community since 1999.
Zamorano has served as on the board since 2022 and is endorsed by the Republican party.
Division 5 includes portions of Citrus Heights, as well as portions of other communities within the San Juan Water District wholesale service area, including parts of Fair Oaks, Orangevale and Folsom.
The San Juan Water District provides wholesale water to the Citrus Heights Water District, which serves 67,000 people through about 19,600 water connections. CHWD’s service area includes 60 percent of the area within Citrus Heights city limits.
Although the San Juan Water District’s geographic divisions do not correspond directly to Citrus Heights city boundaries, portions of Citrus Heights are included in Division 5, while Division 1 also has a Citrus Heights connection. George Machado, representing Division 1, lives in Citrus Heights and was appointed to the board in September 2025 after former Director Dan Rich resigned.
San Juan transitioned from at-large elections to geographic division-based elections beginning in 2022. Under the current system, voters elect a director from the division in which they live, while each director is responsible for representing the interests of the entire district.
The regular filing period for the 2026 election ran from July 13 through Aug. 7. The election will be held Nov. 3.
Voters can check their individual district and division information through the San Juan Water District’s election information page and Sacramento County Elections.
