Otay Water District, Board of Directors

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Mark was elected to Otay Water District in 2004 and re-elected in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
 

He is currently the Vice-President of the Board, having previously been its President and Treasurer. He is on Otay's Finance & Administration Committee. In that capacity he is always asking the tough questions to keep costs in-line and insuring a thorough audit of District finances, which have won numerous awards in the public sector.

 

Mark is a leading voice both regionally and statewide on water issues, primarily through his Twitter account https://twitter.com/OtayMark. Mark also runs the Twitter site https://twitter.com/yestotap which is a leading tap water advocacy site.

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Mark was the President of the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College for four years. During that time the Garden grew substantially and earned many notable distinctions for its work in water conservation in the region as well as nationally. Mark was also instrumental in starting the "Friends of the Garden" which became the entity that manages the Garden.
 

Through Mark's efforts the seed money and water agency approvals for a new "sustainable urban landscape degree and certificate program" was developed and implemented at Cuyamaca College. The curriculum has been a model program and was adopted locally by MiraCosta and Southwestern Colleges.
 

Mark was the Chairman of the Metro Commission which makes recommendations for sewer infrastructure improvements throughout the County of San Diego. Mark fought to keep sewer rates affordable by carefully scrutinizing the City of San Diego's costs they passed along to the Participating Agencies.
 

Otay recycles the sewage created by its customers in the Rancho San Diego/Mt Helix area at its reclamation plant in Rancho San Diego. It then pipes all of the water to Chula Vista for use there. Otay also has connection to the City of San Diego reclamation plant in the Southern service area, where it can receive 6 Million Gallons a Day (MGD). With this in mind, Mark has pushed for the use of its locally produced water (approx. 1.25 MGD) in the Rancho San Diego area where it can be used for such things as sports fields, along freeways and golf courses.

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Padre Dam Municipal Water District, Board of Directors

 

Mark was a former Director with a neighboring water district, Padre Dam Municipal Water District (PDMWD).

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Mark was elected as a Director to PDMWD and served from 1996 through 2000. While on PDMWD, Mark held the positions as President and Treasurer.

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During Mark's tenure as President of the Board, the Competitive Challenge program was instituted which has saved Padre Dam ratepayers $1,800,000 annually to date.

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Mark also served as the Director overseeing Santee Lakes, which made numerous upgrades to the Park including the adoption of a new Master Plan. Mark also was instrumental in the construction of a new Disabled Access Fishing Pier that was opened in June 2004.

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Boy Scouts of America

 

Mark was on the National Staff of the 2017 National scout Jamboree

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Mark served on the Board of Directors of the San Diego-Imperial Council.  He helped extensively with the marketing and properties committees.

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Mark served as the District Chairman for the Heartland District from 2015-2016.

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Mark was an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 362 in Rancho San Diego.  He did the website for the Troop, as well as photography and social media.  His son was a member of the Troop.

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Jamul Little League
 

Mark was a Manager for a team in 2011 and is was the League Information Officer doing the photography, website and publicity for the League.

Rancho San Diego ASA Softball

Mark had done the photography and publicity for the organization.

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Santee Youth Foundation

 

Mark was the Founder and President of the Santee Youth Foundation (SYF). The SYF was created to enhance youth recreational opportunities in Santee. One of the significant accomplishments of the SYF was the creation of a $25,000 scholarship fund in the names of Randy Gordon and Bryan Zuckor, the two Santana High School students that were slain in 2001. The SYF, which was incorporated into the Santee-Lakside Rotary Foundation also donated $36,000 of its monies to the Boys & Girls Clubs of East County.

El Cajon Valley Lions Club

Mark was active with the El Cajon Valley Lions Club, where he served as its President in 1998-1999. The El Cajon Valley Lions, which was founded in 1947 is a leading service Club in East County with 80+ members. The Club's main service project is providing eye exams and eyeglasses for needy children throughout East County.

East County Economic Development Council

Mark was a Board Member with the East County Economic Development Council (ECEDC) from 2000-2002. The purpose of the ECEDC is to promote primary industry retention and growth in the East County region.

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Other Organizations
 

• American Motorcyclist Association - Lifetime Member

• City of El Cajon - Blue Ribbon Commission - Former Commissioner

• Commercial Real Estate Alliance of San Diego - Board Member

• La Mesa Historical Society - Member

• La Mesa Village Merchants - Member

• National Federation of Independent Businesses - Member

• San Diego Association of Realtors - Member

• San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce - Infrastructure & Land Use Committee

• San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce - Sustainability & Industry Committee 

• San Diego State University - Lifetime Alumni

• South County Economic Development Council