Leena RayMoulton Niguel Water District
Coastal South Orange County hillside neighborhood at golden hour

Board of Directors 2026

Leena Ray

for Moulton Niguel Water District

Trust. Water. Community. A fresh perspective focused on reliable water, responsible spending, and the future of our community.

DonateMeet LeenaMy priorities

Watch the message

Our water.
Our money.
Our voice.

Safe water shouldn't be a question. I'm not a career politician. I'm one of you, and I'm running to make sure the Board asks the questions residents would ask.

  1. 01Ask the questions.
  2. 02Follow the facts.
  3. 03Demand accountability.
Palm trees against a clear blue South Orange County sky
20+Years in our water district

Meet Leena

A community member, mother, and former business leader.

I'm running for Moulton Niguel Water District Director. I'm not a career politician or a water-industry insider.

I'm a resident who believes our community deserves a Board that asks questions, listens to experts, protects ratepayers, and plans responsibly for the future.

  • 01Protect our waterContinue improving quality, reliability and responsible reuse, so residents can trust what comes out of the tap.
  • 02Protect our investmentsMaximize the value of the treatment, filtration, recycling and storage residents have already paid for.
  • 03Protect our ratepayersLook carefully at the cost, alternatives, obligations and long-term risk of every new commitment.
Read my story

Innovation and discipline

Our water future requires both.

Moulton Niguel has already invested heavily in water treatment, filtration, recycling, storage and infrastructure. I believe we should maximize the value of what residents have already paid for while carefully evaluating every new investment.

We need to keep exploring recycled water, advanced treatment, water reliability and conservation, but we also need to ask the hard questions.

  1. 01What problem are we solving?
  2. 02What will it cost?
  3. 03What alternatives were considered?
  4. 04What are the long-term obligations?
  5. 05How does this benefit our ratepayers?
Deep blue ocean with a breaking wave, seen from above

Water quality & confidence

Safe water is the foundation of a healthy community.

MNWD reports that its drinking water meets state and federal standards and conducts approximately 12,000 water-quality tests each year. Meeting those standards is essential, but compliance should be the floor, not the ceiling.

Residents should have confidence in their water and understand how it is tested, treated, delivered and monitored. I will advocate for transparency, continued investment in treatment and filtration, responsible evaluation of emerging technologies, and clear communication with residents.

~12,000
Water-quality tests each year
~25%
Of total demand met by recycled water
100%
Of potable water imported today
Aerial view of a South Orange County harbor and neighborhoods

Water security

Plan before a crisis.

Moulton Niguel imports 100% of its potable water through the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, primarily from the Colorado River and the State Water Project. That makes long-term reliability especially important.

  • Use more of what we already have
  • Explore responsible new technologies
  • Strengthen local reliability
Where our water comes from
Hillside homes above a cove on the Southern California coast

Responsible stewardship

A $2 billion responsibility.

MNWD reports more than $2 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure assets and invested approximately $54 million in capital infrastructure in 2025.

Every major project should be evaluated not only on whether it is technically possible, but whether it is financially responsible and provides measurable value to residents.

Fiscal responsibility

A different kind of leadership

Make sure the right questions are asked.

My professional background is in marketing, business consulting, strategy, customer relationships and communications. I have spent my career helping organizations understand problems, identify opportunities, communicate effectively and make better decisions.

Being a Water District Director does not mean pretending to be the engineer, scientist or financial expert in the room. It means listening to qualified professionals, understanding the numbers, and remembering who ultimately pays for the decisions being made.

“Government should not be mysterious.”

My approach is simple: listen, learn, ask questions, explain clearly, and follow through.

I'm running because I care about where we are going

Leena Ray

Confidence in every drop.

My goal isn't to tear down what's working. It's to build on it by protecting what we've invested in, improving water quality and reliability, evaluating new investments carefully, and keeping the focus on the people who live here.

Get involvedRead my promise