Heather Schmidt (United Water Conservation District Board Division 4, California, candidate 2024)

Heather Schmidt

Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!

---

Nonpartisan

Candidate, United Water Conservation District Board Division 4

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Personal

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Public Administration

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Heather Schmidt ran for election to the United Water Conservation District Board Division 4 in California. She was on the ballot in the general election on November 5, 2024.^[source]

Schmidt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Heather Schmidt provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 2, 2024:

• Birth date: April 15, 1982
• Birth place: Palos, Illinois
• High school: Lockport Township High School
• Gender: Female
• Religion: Catholic
• Profession: Public Administration
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook
• Campaign Instagram
• Campaign Twitter
• Campaign YouTube

Elections

General election

General election for United Water Conservation District Board Division 4

Lynn E. Maulhardt, Steve Nash, and Heather Schmidt ran in the general election for United Water Conservation District Board Division 4 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Lynn E. Maulhardt (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Steve Nash (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Heather Schmidt (Nonpartisan)

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Schmidt in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Heather Schmidt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Schmidt's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Heather Schmidt. I am an accomplished Public Policy Consultant and Policy Analyst with almost two decades of experience working within and around the community of Ventura County.

With a Masters of Public Administration, and previous Bachelor of Arts Degrees in related fields, I bring a wealth of knowledge on how to implement evidence-based policy to solve community challenges. I also have additional certifications in organizational leadership, ADA compliance, and organizational cybersecurity.

I have worked on numerous papers, research contracts, and other professional projects involving governance, municipal service delivery, fiscal management, climate and weather disruption, organizational leadership, and more. I offer a fresh perspective and understanding to prepare the United Water Conservation District for the many challenges of the moment, and into the future.

Currently, I live in Oxnard, CA with my husband, three children, and father.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• My first commitment if elected is to restore good, ethical governance to the UWCD. Good governance is when a public organization, such as the United Water Conservation District, serves all people by implementing evidence-based policy solutions to meet the needs of the entire community. The UWCD must return to a place in which citizen stakeholders are involved in processes and decisions, and transparency about decision making is at the forefront of the organization's mission.
• My second commitment if elected is to central my efforts on fiscal responsibility at the UWCD, not just internally within the organization, but externally so that costs are not continually passed down to residents due to poor decision making. Fiscal responsibility is more than balancing municipal budgets. It includes reducing the costs of living for all community members through proven strategies. We never hear about costs coming down, but this is and should be the goal of every public organization and its leadership team, including at the United Water Conservation District.
• My third commitment if elected is to work with other directors and the UWCD organization to implement smart planning for challenges of the future. Smart planning involves looking at evidence and data to improve the infrastructure and development, and to prepare us for challenges into the future, including drought resilience, contemporary conservation strategies, and implementing technology intended to make the water cleaner, safer, and to address brackishness.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Organizational leadership, good governance, ethics and an end to corruption in government, reduction of the cost of living to working families, housing security, and improving the lives of the public.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Almost every public servant I have come across or worked with as a consultant, as well as the many faculty members from my time in graduate school who work also in the various levels of government and non profits, are the people I look up to the most. These people work tirelessly for the public amidst increasing instability both internationally and domestically, and they do it thanklessly because of their love of community.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

This is an interesting question. As a public administrator at heart, who understands that elected officials are also public administrators who have an obligation to the organization and the public, I think the best understanding of my politics and administration framework is Woodrow Wilson's famous essay on the Politics-Administration Dichotomy. In this essay, Wilson argues that the politics must end with elections so the work of government and service to the people may proceed. This has been largely lost in politics and government today, and has impacted public organizations at every level.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, a sense of a moral compass, and an understanding of public administration and organizational management to meet the many challenges of the moment are most important for elected officials to espouse.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am not affiliated with any special interest groups, political parties, or organizations that seek to control the office or the organization. I am truly independent, which allows me the freedom to instead rely upon evidence based strategies and good, ethical governance to lead.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Transparency is among the key responsibilities for this position. This is for two reasons. The first is that there has been a lack of transparency about decision making processes, and how those decisions have been made. This has unfairly impacted residents of Oxnard insofar as it has passed down costs to them. Residents are also discouraged from being participatory in the processes the board is a part of, and board members are not accessible to the public. This must change.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Greater transparency, accountability, accessibility, and a reduction or stabilization of utility expenses to the people of Oxnard.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

9/11 was probably the first major historical event in recent history that I lived through, I was 19 at the time.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was at Wendy's in high school, I worked there for three years (2 while in high school, 1 upon graduation). My next job was at Longs Pharmacy as a pharmacy technician, which I worked at through out community college and both of my bachelor's degrees - for seven years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole. It's just a really funny book.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Anne Dubreihl from Simone de Beauvoir's The Mandarins. She was a woman ahead of her time in post-WW2 France.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Chappell Roan, but I don't remember the name of the song. It was something my kids were listening to in my car.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

In my 20s, I was in an abusive relationship, and have also had a considerable amount of time dealing with the family courts and my oldest daughter's father. These experiences, though, were what drove me to public service, policy consulting, and the desire to improve conditions for all families in our community so they may not realize some of the cost of living related struggles that pre-disposed us to the situations we experienced over the years.

Tell us your favorite joke.

"What's the difference between a conspiracy and the truth?"

6 months

I don't *really* believe that, but I do believe it highlights the fact that sometimes "conspiracy" does end up having some reality to it, and it's fair to hear people out. A great documentary on the Flat Earthers on Netflix highlights at the conclusion that you won't win people with differing or conspiratorial views over by making fun of them. We all ultimately have the same goal: what's best for our community. I believe listening, even if it's hard to believe, is the best course of action. And who knows? Sometimes it may not be so much of a conspiracy in the end anyway...

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Both are the hallmark of good governance and must be restored to the UWCD for the betterment of the people of Oxnard.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2024 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Candidate

United Water Conservation District Board Division 4

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube