Sacramento Municipal Utility District Board of Directors Member Dave Tamayo

Dave Tamayo was elected to the SMUD Board in 2014. He represents Ward 6, which includes the Meadowview, Oak Park, Parkway, Airport, and Valley Hi neighborhoods. Tamayo has lived in the Fruitridge Manor neighborhood of south Sacramento since 1989, where he raised his family and has long been active in community affairs. He has led efforts to establish science programs and gardens in local schools, co-founded his neighborhood association, and successfully advocated for public parks, affordable housing, and urban infill. He led successful efforts to bring a “tot lot” playground to Fruitridge Manor and to adopt the sewer district's infill development ordinance. He also has served on a number of public boards and commissions.

Tamayo is an environmental scientist for Sacramento County. He wrote the County storm water pollution ordinance, co-founded the region's River Friendly Landscaping Program, and helped create local, statewide, and national integrated pest management programs. Prior to working for the county, he owned a wholesale seafood business in San Francisco and was an electrician and a whitewater rafting guide. He holds a bachelor's degree in zoology from UC Berkeley and a master’s degree in entomology and nematology from the University of Florida, Gainesville.