Schroder joins Water Board

Martinez mayor Rob Schroder is the newest member of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board).

Gov. Schwarzenegger’s office announced the appointment of Schroder, 56, last week. Confirmation by the California Senate is expected in the next two weeks.

The Water Board is one of nine statewide agencies, under the umbrella of the California Environmental Protection Agency, focused on regional storm water issues, waste water treatment, wetlands protection, environmental education and justice and water quality monitoring.

According to the State Water Resources Control Board, the supervising agency of the state’s nine Water Boards, “each regional board makes critical water quality

 decisions for its region, including setting standards, issuing waste discharge requirements, determining compliance with those requirements, and taking appropriate enforcement actions.”

Schroder said yesterday he was assuming a seat that has been vacant for a long time. Each of the nine Water Board seats is designated for a particular specialization and Schroder will serve as local government representative.

“I went through very detailed interviews with the Attorney General’s office and the CA EPA under-secretary,” explained Schroder, adding that he had also submitted letters of recommendation from Ted Radke of East Bay Regional Park District, the Western States Petroleum Association, Senator Mark DeSaulnier and the Contra Costa Council.

Member of the Board cannot earn more than 10 percent of their personal income from employment with a water permit holder. For example, a Contra Costa County Board of Supervisor would not be eligible, since the County is both a water permit holder and pays 100 percent of Supervisor salaries. The City of Martinez holds a water permit from the Water Board, but Schroder earns just $584 each month from his seat on the City Council, he said, and 99 percent of his income is generated from his Walnut Creek insurance company, Schroder Insurance Services.

Besides being Mayor of Martinez and a member of the City Council, Schroder also sits on the Contra Costa Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), is a member of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, and is the director of the Contra Costa County Transit Authority.

The Water Board meets once a month in Oakland.