Calling water “one of the most important issues of the 21st century,” Hanson said she was “astonished to learn that the district doesn’t have a good handle on” the amount of water in the aquifer, which is the drought buffer, and that it doesn’t have an existing Ground Water Management Plan.

A regular observer and participant at water district board and committee meetings for the past couple of years, Hanson called for a rate system that is “fair and understandable to all” customers, and one that encourages water conservation. She also stressed the importance of sustaining local agriculture.

Hanson, who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale and a master’s degree from Harvard Business School, has not sought elective office before.

There are three board positions open on the November ballot with the terms of Harry DeWitt, Lynette Mills and Chuck Evans coming to a close. De Witt has said he will run for another four-year term while Evans and Mills have decided against seeking re-election. Bill Rosen, a retired attorney, has also announced his candidacy.

A veteran of the 12-member Goleta Visioning Committee, Hanson said her experiences while serving on the committee gave her much broader knowledge of the area and the issues facing all who live in it.

She said the water district needs to be more responsive to its customers than it has been in the past, and more transparent in its transactions and decision-making.