26-Year-Old Community College Professor Ousts Incumbent Water Board Director
The Walnut Valley Water District (WVWD), which encompasses the cities of Diamond Bar, Industry, Rowland Heights, Walnut, and West Covina, held its first election in 13 years on Tuesday.
When only one person, usually the incumbent, files to run for a California Water District by the stated deadline, the election is cancelled and doesn’t get printed on the ballot. The lone filer is automatically declared the winner by default. This is what happened for all WVWD races in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018.
Longtime WVWD Director Ted Ebenkamp vacated his Division 4 seat earlier this year due to health concerns. Alfred Sinclare, 70, a retired United States Postal Service worker, was appointed to fill Director Ebenkamp’s seat, which includes portions of Diamond Bar and Rowland Heights, this past July. Director Sinclare filed to run for re-election shortly after being appointed.
Kevin Hayakawa, a 26-year-old adjunct professor of physics at Moorpark College who grew up in Rowland Heights, also filed for the race. He ran on a progressive platform of COVID-19 water bill relief, fighting climate change, and creating an affordable and sustainable water supply.
While formally a nonpartisan race, Sinclare was endorsed by the Republican Party and Hayakawa was endorsed by the L.A. County Democratic Party, setting the stage for a partisan brawl. Democrats hold a 12-point voter registration advantage over Republicans in Division 4, the seat Sinclare and Hayakawa contested. Division 4 comprises a very diverse electorate, with Asian voters making up a slim majority of the area.
Unofficial results showed Hayakawa in the lead with 4,068 votes (75.4%). Sinclare trailed with 1,328 votes (24.6%).
Hayakawa’s victory makes him the youngest member of the WVWD Board of Directors.
