Gracie Torres brings a much-needed local perspective to improve our local economy, while prioritizing good governance standards and investments in workforce development and infrastructure.
During her career and tenure on the Western Municipal Water District, she has:
- Brought critical resources and investments to the region, such as an $2M investment for workforce development for aspiring water professionals which provides internships, pre-apprenticeships, and apprenticeships
- Spearheaded Western Municipal’s live-streaming of board meetings, in an effort to provide greater transparency and accessibility for ratepayers
- During the pandemic, brought forth a moratorium on water shutoff as one of the first districts in the state and on late fees, which went above the state’s standards
- Created a college scholarship program called “Beca Angelita”, which supports Riverside Unified School District high school graduates pursuing higher education in STEM
- Voted against water rate increases to offset rising costs for families
- Pipeline Replacement Program: Mission Grove and Woodcrest
- Arlington Desalter System, which supplies 3.7 million gallons of water per day of new water for the region
- Victoria Recharge Basin, connected to the Arlington Basin Sustainability Project, which stabilizes the Arlington Groundwater Basin, improving groundwater quality, bringing 1,800 acre-feet of water per year to our region.
- Mills Gravity Line Completion
- Secured $1.5 million in funding for water and wastewater job training across the Inland Empire
- Advocated for record cost savings to Riverside ratepayers
- Secured Record-Breaking Grant Funding – Obtained $32.8M in state and federal grants, the largest
in district history, to fund water quality upgrades, recycled water infrastructure, and PFAS treatment
systems.
