Gasca chosen for Rainbow MWD board vacancy

Miguel Gasca is the newest member of the Rainbow Municipal Water District (RMWD) board.

A 4-0 board vote Feb. 28 selected Gasca to fill the Division 3 seat vacated after Tory Walker moved to Murrieta and resigned from the board. Gasca will fill the remainder of Walker's term, which expires in December 2018.

"I'm glad to have the opportunity to serve the community," said Gasca.

"He'll be a good addition to the board," said Rainbow general manager Tom Kennedy.

Division 3 is the central part of the RMWD service area and includes the Gird Valley and Pala Mesa. Gasca has lived on Wilt Road since 2011 but previously lived in San Bernardino County and served two four-year terms on the Running Springs Water District board.

"He brings experience from serving on a board," Kennedy said. "He brings some understanding of water districts."

Gasca was born in Los Angeles and attended Saint Francis High School in La Canada. In 1974 he received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Loyola Marymount University; his field of concentration was water supply and waste treatment. Gasca lived in Running Springs, which is at the junction of State Route 330 and State Route 18, from 1974 to 1987. He was on the board of the Running Springs Water District from 1979 to 1987, including three years as the board president, and he was also a board member and the programs chairman of the San Bernardino County Association of Independent Special Districts.

The Running Springs Water District has not only water and sewer latent powers but also has a regional treatment plant and handles fire, emergency medical, lighting, and parks and recreation services for Running Springs. Gasca worked on master plans for the district's services and also helped secure funding for the replacement of an eight-mile water main.

Gasca received per diem pay for his water district activities, but his full-time job was as an engineer for TRW/Northrup Grumman. He spent two years as the legislative committee chairman of the San Bernardino/Riverside branch of the American Society of Civil Engineers and was also a delegate to the California Legislative Council for Professional Engineering.

Gasca lived in San Bernardino from 1987 to 2011. He retired from TRW/Northrop Grumman in 2009 and founded Apogean Group, LLC, which utilizes senior scientists and engineers to provide consulting services.

The RMWD's committees include the Engineering Committee. Gasca attended a recent Engineering Committee meeting and spoke with Walker, who was in the process of moving out of the district. Gasca was encouraged to seek the board vacancy.

Gasca and Walker still communicate with each other.

"Talking to Tory will enable me to come up to speed fast than I thought I would," Gasca said. "I think he'll be a valuable resource and will continue to help the district in that way."

James Fergus and Christal Punaro also formally applied for the vacant board seat.

"I'm hoping that I'll be able to provide my experience perspective on the issues that we deal with," Gasca said. "I look forward to providing support to all the homeowners and businesses in Division 3. It's my intention to try to get around the division and meet as many people as I can."