Rebecca Eisenberg
CA · Director, District 7, Santa Clara Valley Water District
Rebecca Eisenberg, a Palo Alto attorney and investor, has been Valley Water's District 7 director since 2022. She opposed the Pacheco Dam and lists affordability, sustainability, and flood protection as priorities; the board censured her in 2024 after an investigation substantiated nine complaints.
Where Rebecca Eisenberg stands, based on their records
Supports
Cost of Living Reduction (1 record), Government Spending Reduction (7 records)
Opposes
Public Infrastructure (1 record)
Track record
Track record — Cost of Living Reduction
Cost of Living Reduction · 1 support
Cast the lone no vote on raising Valley Water's groundwater, surface water and treated water charges for 2024-25; the increase passed 6-1.
May 14, 2024Supports Cost of Living Reduction
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
Track record — Government Spending Reduction
Government Spending Reduction · 7 support
Voted against adding $15 million to this year's budget for the Upper Llagas Creek flood project in Morgan Hill, saying paying earlier than required was not a good deal; it passed 5-1.
March 24, 2026Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
Cast the lone no vote on a deal to take out up to $1 billion in federal Army Corps loans for water projects; it passed 6-1.
September 9, 2025Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
Seconded the motion to suspend all work on the Pacheco Reservoir expansion and withdraw its state funding application; the board approved it 6-0.
August 26, 2025Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
Voted against Valley Water's 2025-26 budget, saying she could not support a budget that still funded the Pacheco Reservoir expansion; it passed 5-1.
May 27, 2025Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
Cast the lone no vote on paying up to $9.69 million toward planning for the state's Delta Conveyance tunnel project in 2026 and 2027; it passed 6-1.
January 14, 2025Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
Cast the lone no vote as the board approved borrowing up to $450 million through water system bonds and related notes; it passed 6-1.
January 23, 2024Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
On her first day on the board, moved to apply for up to $2.5 billion in federal water loans without the Pacheco Reservoir expansion; her motion failed 3-4. She then cast the lone no vote as the board approved the loan deal with Pacheco included, 6-1.
December 13, 2022Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
Track record — Public Infrastructure
Public Infrastructure · 1 oppose
Cast the lone no vote as the board approved the Coyote Creek flood protection project in San Jose and certified its environmental review; it passed 6-1.
March 11, 2025Opposes Public Infrastructure
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
Track record — General
General · 8 records
Filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court in San Jose against Valley Water, its board, former CEO Rick Callender and District Counsel Carlos Orellana.
October 11, 2026
Source: courtlistener.com
Cast the lone no vote on an agreement tied to a proposed purified-water project in San Jose, saying she lacked information; it passed 6-1.
January 27, 2026
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
Voted against changing the voter-approved Upper Guadalupe River flood project in San Jose so its money could cover a funding shortfall on another project; the change passed 4-3. She had backed a failed motion asking staff to bring back other ways to fill the gap.
August 13, 2024
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
The Santa Clara County District Attorney declined to file criminal charges against her for taking the investigation report, finding no evidence of criminal intent.
March 15, 2024
Source: losaltosonline.com
Published blog posts accusing Valley Water of lying to get $100 million in federal loans and asking the board to investigate the investigation into her own conduct.
February 10, 2024
Source: sanjoseinside.com
Voted against setting CEO Rick Callender's yearly salary at $497,952, saying she did not support how the pay was calculated; it passed 5-1 with one abstention.
September 26, 2023
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
Cast the lone no vote on the board's updated ethics and conduct code, saying she objected to new rules on how board members treat Valley Water staff; it passed 6-1.
September 12, 2023
Source: scvwd.legistar1.com
Won the District 7 seat on the Valley Water board in the Nov. 8, 2022 election, unseating incumbent Gary Kremen with about 55% of the vote.
November 8, 2022
Source: mv-voice.com
Track record — Candidate Ethics
Candidate Ethics · 3 records
Was escorted out of a Valley Water board meeting by security after going past her speaking time. The board was reviewing an outside investigator's report that found she likely accused the district's lawyer of bribing judges at a closed session, where she had also been removed.
October 13, 2026
Source: padailypost.com
Lost an appeal when a state appeals court upheld an order requiring her to return two confidential investigation reports she removed from Valley Water offices. The district had sued her over the reports in April 2024.
December 31, 2025
Source: www4.courts.ca.gov
Was censured by the Valley Water board for taking two confidential investigation reports from district offices and for misconduct toward staff that an outside investigation had substantiated.
March 14, 2024
Source: www4.courts.ca.gov
Past race Rebecca Eisenberg ran in:
- Santa Clara Valley Water District Director, District 7 · November 3, 2026 · Santa Clara Valley Water District Director District 7 · incumbent