Thompson

Appellant Board of Directors of the Turlock Irrigation District appeals from a judgment of the superior court issuing a writ of mandate directing the appellant to change the boundaries of the divisions of the district. The undisputed facts are substantially as follows.

The Turlock Irrigation District, a special district embracing 195,802 acres of land located within three counties, was formed in 1887 under the “Wright Act.” This act was superseded 10 years later by the “Wright-Bridgeford Act,” which is now codified in the state Water Code as division 11 commencing with section 20500 and is known as the Irrigation District Law. The district is governed by a governing board (appellant herein) consisting of five members, and is divided into five divisions with one director elected from each division. These divisions have not been modified for over 30 years; their land areas and estimated populations are as follows:

Divisions No. of Acres Percentage of Total Acreage Estimated Percentage Population Populatioi

Division One 42,319 21.6% 4,925 7%

Division Two 33,015 16.9% 23,621 33%

Division Three 40,016 20.4% 8,949 13%

Division Four 38,111 19.5% 24,996 35%

Division Five 42,341…