I'm a Sugarloaf homeowner, a software developer, and a brand-new dad, and I already serve on the boards that work alongside the CSD. Here's where I come from and who I'm running for.
I grew up in a blue-collar family in Los Angeles, and I learned early that the work that keeps things running is the work nobody notices until it stops. My wife and I have lived in Big Bear for over six years. We bought our home in Sugarloaf, and I've been coming up since 2008, when my parents bought a vacation home in the same neighborhood. We just welcomed our daughter, and we plan to be here for the long haul.
I'm 36, an Eagle Scout, and I work remotely as a software developer. Software teaches you to think in systems: backups, fallbacks, testing, and fixing small problems before they become big ones. That's how I'd look at serving on the CSD. I also built and run Big Bear News and Big Bear Pros.
I served on the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association board from 2021 to 2024. While I was there I built them a new website at sgwa.org and brought their permit process online at permits.sgwa.org, which cut a long bottleneck and the lead times that came with it. I've served on the Sugarloaf Property Owners Association board since 2022, and in 2025 was appointed to the Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency board — the agency that treats the valley's wastewater, so I already work on the other side of the CSD's sewer costs.
I'm running for the people who plan to be here, whether that's five more years or forty: young families, seniors on a fixed income, renters, neighbors who made the biggest purchase of their lives on this mountain, and part-time neighbors who pay the same bills we do. I'll weigh every vote against what it costs each of them.
The Big Bear Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 935, has endorsed me for this board. They called it their final endorsement on the Big Bear City side. Read their post.
We live on a sky island. Every drop comes from under our own feet, and every dollar comes from our own pockets.
The California Special Districts Association trains the people who serve on special-district boards.
I completed CSDA's Special District Leadership Academy — governance, community leadership, human resources, and the board's role in finance. That is the curriculum California special districts wrote for their own directors. Details are on the Special District Leadership Foundation site.
Residents keep telling the board they feel unheard. At the June 18 meeting on the future of fire services, one neighbor put it plainly: "I really don't feel that you guys fight for us." By the general manager's own account, the City had been planning its exit from the fire agreement for a year before the CSD started its own work.
I won't pretend those problems don't exist, and I won't make them personal. Meetings you can watch from home, in English and Spanish. Decisions explained before they land on your bill. And a director who tells you how he voted and why.
On the Big Bear Fire Authority: the City of Big Bear Lake has chosen a county contract starting July 2027, and our end hasn't chosen yet. The district's consultant reports in January. Where I stand: if fire revenue and fire reserves can fund our own department or a valley fire district without a new tax, I'll vote for it. Water and sewer money cannot go to fire, and fire money cannot go to water or sewer. If the numbers won't carry it, I'll vote to contract with the county and say so plainly. Read my full letter on how the agreement ended →
Short answers to what neighbors ask most.
The basics about the candidate, the office, and the district.
| Candidate | Andrew Sauer |
|---|---|
| Candidate Number | 12802 |
| Office Sought | Big Bear City CSD Board of Directors |
| Election Date | November 3, 2026 |
| Endorsed by | Big Bear Professional Firefighters Association, IAFF Local 935 |
| CSDA training | Special District Leadership Academy |
| District Service Area | East Valley, Big Bear City (San Bernardino County, CA) |
| Customers Served | Nearly 6,000 |
| Current Boards | BBARWA (2025–present, appointed), Sugarloaf POA (2022–present) |
| Previous Boards | San Gorgonio Wilderness Association (2021–2024) |
| Years in Big Bear | 6+ |
| Contact | andrew@sauerforcsd.com |
The Big Bear City Community Services District serves nearly 6,000 customers in the East Valley.