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https://www.thedesertreview.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/the-ai-boom-is-an-opportunity-to-rebuild-america/article_90c9eb5a-01be-416d-a5c1-d29d076b1ef6.html

Because of the page’s origins, many suspected that the culprit behind the page’s more recent onslaught of fantasy storytelling was Erick Ortega, but no one was really sure. They had just wondered. Another important element in deciphering who is currently behind the page is the name Michael Anthony Jeffers, whom many associate with being Ortega’s nephew.

Jeffers comes out as the instrument used to purchase campaign ads against the infamous Gonzalez.

However, just today, August 30, 2026, the account administrators’ zeal and passion against Ryan Kelley led the account holder to blow his cover. In an attempt to provide documentation to add credibility to the delusional narratives disseminated on the page, the account holder shared a Dropbox folder connected to the fake Facebook account Jose Ortiz.

I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that Jose Ortiz is Erick Ortega because of the cartoon character in the profile picture and the profile’s obsession with Gonzalez’s sex life.

The cartoon character is an almost identical representation of Ortega’s long, white face, combined with what looks like a patch of cement around his mouth, which, of course, is his trimmed beard.

Well, anyway, I’ll leave the photos below and let you guys decide whether Ortiz is Ortega or not.

The legislation lists a surcharge or fee on motor vehicles registered within the air district as one potential source of funding for the Imperial County Air Pollution Control District. Other potential sources include grants, permit fees and penalties.

If those sources do not cover district expenses, the bill provides for an annual per-capita assessment on Imperial County and its cities.

The money is significant. Air Pollution Control Officer Belen Leon-Lopez told lawmakers July 1 that a fiscal analysis estimated $1.5 million in one-time IT costs, $4.5 million in ongoing annual staffing and administrative costs, and about $410,000 annually for expanded air monitoring.

Even more astounding is that some take to the podium and, with arrogance, berate members of the Board of Supervisors and, at times, county residents themselves.

The examination of Nehemiah Abbott Jr. during the Salem witch trials offers an interesting lesson. Abbott was accused of witchcraft based largely on claims that his “shape” or apparition had been seen. Yet the accusations began to fall apart when they were examined more carefully. One accuser said he looked like the man she had seen but could not say for certain that it was him. Another said he was not the man at all.

Abbott continued to maintain his innocence even as he was pressured to confess. His response was simple: “If I should confess this, I must confess what is false.”

Eventually, the accusers were given a better opportunity to look at Abbott and questioned their original judgment. They agreed that although he resembled the person they claimed to have seen, he was not that person. The magistrates ultimately dismissed him.

There is a lesson in that story that remains relevant more than 300 years later. Accusations are not automatically facts simply because they are repeated loudly, confidently, or publicly. People should be willing to question their own judgment, examine the evidence, and admit when they may have been wrong.

The Ninth Commandment is a command not to bear false witness against your neighbor. Yet some, in their arrogance, seem to use accusations as a weapon for their own false sense of righteousness and as a way to become haughtier in their own minds.

With this, I end. It is 3:08 a.m., and I need to head to bed.

For those who have been the subject of lies, rumors, or false accusations, Psalm 31:20 offers a reminder that God provides refuge from “the strife of tongues.” Truth does not always need to shout the loudest to ultimately prevail.

This particular screenshot shows Diego Marquez, a fake account, posting in Mount Signal Media, a left-wing progressive page that has been avidly anti-data center. And as you can see right there in the screenshot, the post uses what appears to be AI-generated imagery.

Do you see the irony here?

You have a political group that is avidly against data centers, particularly those associated with AI, while people within that same political circle, their friends and allies, are using fake accounts and AI-generated imagery.

That's where I see the hypocrisy.

You can't condemn something on one hand and then turn around and use it when it is convenient for your own message.

And then there is the bigger question: credibility.

How credible is a political movement when people aligned with it are hiding behind fake accounts? How credible is the message when the same political circle criticizing AI-related development is also using AI-generated imagery?

I'm not even arguing here about whether data centers are good or bad. I'm questioning the credibility of the people delivering the message.

Because when the messenger operates this way, I think it's fair to question the message, too.

Let’s start with this: The attempted recall has failed at least three times, to my knowledge.

Jack “the Snake” Tison believes it is because Lindsey Dale has a connection to the Tim Kelley and Ryan Kelley family that the recall has failed.

I argue differently. I think it is because public administration is not as easy as the far-left-wing radicals of Imperial County make it out to be.

They constantly criticize Peggy Price, John Hawk and Ryan Kelley for, according to them, not being able to properly run the county. If I am wrong in this assessment, please correct me, but to my knowledge, that is essentially their argument.

Recently, Kelley Jordan spoke about the Imperial County airport and alluded to what she sees as poor decision-making by the Board of Supervisors.

If there is anything to learn from this entire discussion and the constant back-and-forth, it is that public administration is not easy. I mean, look, the left in Imperial County can’t even get a recall going.

I think it is important to interject here that the Calexico recall team did not hire a lawyer, unlike the recall effort here in Imperial County.

Kelley asked about results concerning the Imperial County airport dilemma and appeared to suggest that Peggy Price and John Hawk are not capable of producing those results.

And listen, I think there is a fair question to ask here: If Kelley Jordan’s allies have not been able to get the recall going, what makes her so certain that they know what is best for the county?

That’s my larger takeaway.

Public administration is not easy. Residents who get on their high horse and assume they could automatically do a better job should be careful about that kind of arrogance. There is a major difference between criticizing government from the outside and actually being responsible for administering it.

Public administration is not easy. That’s why consultants and professionals are hired. Public officials are not expected to personally know every technical answer. Their responsibility is to stand firm in their fiduciary duties and put the public’s best interests first, rather than simply saying what people want to hear in order to get elected or re-elected.

Tison said people did not feel safe around me and claimed that he and others had been “directly confronted.” Yet I have recordings from multiple occasions showing Tison approaching me and recording me. On more than one occasion, he has gotten extremely close to me, including directly in my face. I also have emails documenting my own communications with the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office regarding the Jan. 14 workshop.

Most concerning was Tison’s question: “Do I have to inform the woman who was assaulted that night that he will be here?”

I was there. I did not assault anyone, nor did I witness a woman being assaulted. To my knowledge, no such assault occurred. Tison did not explicitly accuse me of assault, but after portraying me as a safety concern, I believe his statement created a misleading implication.

This raises serious questions about Tison’s credibility. If he truly believes I am a threat to his safety, why has he repeatedly approached me, recorded me and gotten directly in my face? His own actions do not match the picture he presented to the Board.

And that raises a bigger question: If Tison has misled the public about me and my conduct, what else has he misled people about?

I have experienced confrontation myself at public meetings. From my perspective, some of the loudest and most confrontational behavior has come from people opposed to the project, including individuals aligned with Tison. I have witnessed shouting and behavior that I found intimidating. Yet somehow, I am the one being portrayed as the threat.

These are serious accusations. You cannot portray someone as dangerous, suggest people need protection from them, bring up an alleged assault and expect nobody to question the story being told.

If Tison wants people to believe his claims about me, he should back them up with facts. Repeating an accusation does not make it true, and neither does saying it from the podium at a public meeting.

“Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.” — Proverbs 12:19 (NIV)

Carlos Duran

Campaign-finance records show GROW CALIFORNIA spent $818,333 independently supporting Ida Obeso-Martinez’s 2026 Assembly campaign, including $800,000 on TV and digital ads.

Grow California was launched with backing from tech and crypto billionaires Chris Larsen and Tim Draper, who initially provided $5 million each.

Obeso-Martinez has pushed back against the proposed Imperial-area data center.

Is Silicon Valley simply supporting her campaign, or could more Silicon Valley investment be coming to Imperial Valley?

https://www.thedesertreview.com/news/local/authorization-of-westmorland-pd-firearm-purchases-leaves-vendor-with-unpaid-invoices/article_cb90cf0f-4d95-4495-8b5d-8e6136c9b886.htm

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Whether those decisions were justified is ultimately for the public to evaluate. Transparency, accountability, and informed public debate remain essential.

What do you think?

#ImperialCounty #IID #ImperialIrrigationDistrict #Ratepayers #GovernmentTransparency #PublicAccountability #EditorialCartoon #PoliticalSatire #Opinion

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Southern California’s water system is among the most complex in the United States, shaped by more than a century of interstate agreements, federal laws, court decisions and regional partnerships. At the center of that system is the Colorado River, which supplies cities, farms and businesses across the arid Southwest. Under the Law of the River, California receives a basic annual apportionment of 4.4 million acre-feet of Colorado River water, with the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) holding the state’s largest individual entitlement at 3.1 million acre-feet.

Through long-term conservation and transfer agreements, IID delivers a portion of its conserved water to neighboring agencies serving San Diego, the Coachella Valley and other parts of Southern California while generating revenue for conservation programs and district operations. This article examines how Colorado River water is allocated, how much IID receives, where transferred water goes, and what official reports from IID, the Metropolitan Water District, the Coachella Valley Water District and other public agencies reveal about one of the Southwest’s most important water systems.

The Colorado River: California’s Water Supply

The Colorado River stretches approximately 1,450 miles from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California, flowing through seven U.S. states before crossing into Mexico. According to the Imperial Irrigation District’s 2024 Water & QSA Implementation Report, the river serves as the primary water source for much of the arid Southwest, supporting cities, agriculture and industry across the region. In Southern California, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California imports Colorado River water to help serve nearly 19 million people across six counties.

A series of interstate agreements, federal laws and court decisions—collectively known as the Law of the River—governs how the river’s water is divided among the seven basin states. Under that framework, California receives a basic annual apportionment of 4.4 million acre-feet.

Within California’s allocation, IID holds a 3.1 million acre-foot annual entitlement, including 2.6 million acre-feet recognized as Present Perfected Rights. According to IID, those rights predate the interstate allocation framework, giving the district one of the highest-priority water rights on the Colorado River. As a result, IID is among the last water users subject to reductions during federally declared shortages.

IID’s Share of the Colorado River

IID’s 3.1 million acre-foot allocation supports one of the nation’s largest agricultural irrigation systems. An acre-foot—the standard unit used by water agencies—is enough water to cover one acre of land one foot deep, or about 325,851 gallons.

According to IID’s 2024 Water & QSA Implementation Report, the district delivers water to more than 448,000 irrigated acres through an extensive network of canals and drains. Agriculture accounts for approximately 96% to 97% of IID’s annual water deliveries and helped generate more than $2.6 billion in Imperial Valley agricultural production during 2024.

While most of IID’s water remains in the Imperial Valley to support agriculture, a portion is conserved and transferred under long-term agreements that help supply neighboring communities throughout Southern California.

Where the Water Goes

To help California remain within its basic Colorado River apportionment, IID conserves water and transfers a portion of those savings to other Southern California water agencies under the 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) and related agreements. According to IID’s 2024 Water & QSA Implementation Report, the district generates conserved water through a combination of on-farm efficiency programs, canal lining, reservoir operations and other system improvements. These conservation measures reduce water use while maintaining agricultural production.

Under the long-term agreements, IID is scheduled to transfer nearly 485,000 acre-feet of conserved water annually over periods ranging from 45 to 75 years. In 2024, IID reported conserving a record 673,340 acre-feet of water. According to the district, that water was used to satisfy QSA transfer obligations, support Salton Sea mitigation efforts and provide additional system conservation water that remained in Lake Mead under federal conservation agreements.

The primary long-term transfer agreements include:

Recipient Agency

Annual Transfer

Primary Use

San Diego County Water Authority

Up to 200,000 AF

Municipal and urban water supply

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

105,000 AF

Regional wholesale water supply

Coachella Valley Water District

103,000 AF

Agricultural irrigation, domestic water supply and groundwater replenishment

According to IID’s 2024 report, 150,000 acre-feet were delivered to the San Diego County Water Authority in 2024, while the remaining 50,000 acre-feet of its scheduled transfer was retained in Lake Mead as system conservation water under federal conservation agreements.

Following the Money

Long-term conservation and water transfer agreements also generate significant revenue for the Imperial Irrigation District.

According to IID’s 2024 Water Transfer Revenue and Expenditure Report, the district budgeted approximately $194.1 million in transfer-related revenue and funding for 2024. Actual revenue exceeded that projection, totaling approximately $280.2 million, largely because of additional conservation funding associated with Colorado River drought response programs.

Transfers to the San Diego County Water Authority generated approximately $159.4 million, while agreements with the Coachella Valley Water District generated approximately $16.5 million. IID also received more than $76 million in supplemental conservation funding beyond its traditional transfer agreements.

Transfer revenue supports a wide range of district programs and obligations. According to IID, the funds help finance conservation programs, payments to participating agricultural producers, operation and maintenance of the water delivery system, administration of transfer agreements, environmental mitigation associated with the Salton Sea, and additional Colorado River conservation activities.

From Water Importer to Water Supplier

For decades, the San Diego County Water Authority worked to diversify its water portfolio by reducing its dependence on a single imported water source. Today, according to official agency reports, San Diego’s supplies include long-term transfers from the Imperial Irrigation District under the Quantification Settlement Agreement, locally developed surface water, groundwater, recycled water, seawater desalination and water storage programs. Together, these sources provide a more resilient and diversified regional water supply.

That diversified portfolio has also created new opportunities for regional water sharing. In 2026, the San Diego County Water Authority approved long-term agreements to supply water to the Western Municipal Water District and the Eastern Municipal Water District in Riverside County. According to the water authority, the agreements will provide each agency with up to 10,000 acre-feet of water annually over 21 years while generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue. Water will be delivered through existing Metropolitan Water District infrastructure, requiring no new conveyance facilities.

The agreements illustrate how Southern California’s interconnected water system continues to evolve. Water originally imported through regional transfer agreements can become part of a broader supply portfolio that allows agencies to meet local demand while entering new cooperative agreements with neighboring water providers.

Sources

• Imperial Irrigation District. 2024 Water & QSA Implementation Report.

• Imperial Irrigation District. 2024 Water Transfer Revenue and Expenditure Report.

• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Climate Adaptation Master Plan for Water (2024 Annual Report).

• Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. 2026 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report.

• Coachella Valley Water District. Annual Review & Water Quality Report 2025–26.

• San Diego County Water Authority. Water Sources and Uses, Fiscal Year 2023–2024.

• San Diego County Water Authority. 2024 Water Supply Sources

  

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Public office was never meant to be about personal gain, status, or self-enrichment. It should be about responsibility, humility, accountability, and service to the people who pay the bills and keep our communities running every day.

Imperial Valley families are working hard, dealing with rising costs, and trying to provide for their households. They deserve leadership that understands those struggles and puts the community first when making important decisions about electricity, water, and public resources.

I believe IID leadership should focus on transparency, protecting ratepayers, and making decisions that benefit working families — not insiders or politics.

This campaign has never been about power for me. It has always been about restoring trust between the public and the institutions that serve them.

Leadership is not about what you take from the community.
It is about what you give back.

— Carlos Duran

✔ The IID Board approved a 39.2% salary increase for themselves

✔ The General Manager received a reported $50,000 salary increase and a $75,000 bonus

✔ Residents were then faced with a proposed 24.5% rate increase

Many ratepayers are asking an important question: who is IID leadership really serving?

Public office should be about accountability, sacrifice, and putting the community first — not self-enrichment while families struggle with rising utility costs.

Vote Carlos Duran for IID Division 1.

In May 2024, the IID Board approved a substantial salary increase for board members. If elected to represent Division 1, I will voluntarily return the equivalent of that increase back into our community through the 🎓 IID Student Leadership Fellowship, creating a paid opportunity for an Imperial Valley College student.

To me, leadership should require humility, accountability, and a willingness to sacrifice for the public good. The purpose of holding office is not to take more from the community, but to give more back.

At a time when many Imperial Valley families are struggling with rising utility costs and economic pressure, I believe elected officials should lead by example and remain focused on serving the people who placed their trust in them.

The IID Student Leadership Fellowship would help invest in the next generation by providing a local student with real-world leadership and public service experience while supporting our community.

Imperial Valley deserves leaders who understand that public office is a responsibility, not a privilege for self-benefit.

— Carlos Duran

Candidate for IID Division 1

🎓 IID Student Leadership Fellowship

This fellowship would create a paid opportunity for a straight-A Imperial Valley College student to gain real-world leadership and public service experience while helping our community.

✔ Total amount given back annually: approximately $18,503
✔ 20 hours per week
✔ Approximately 32 weeks across two IVC semesters
✔ Estimated pay: approximately $28.90 per hour

I believe leadership is about service, accountability, and investing in the next generation — not enriching ourselves while families struggle with rising electric bills.

Imperial Valley students deserve opportunities, mentorship, and leaders who put the community first.

— Carlos Duran
Candidate for IID Division 1

Imperial County Deserves Better Accountability

Imperial County is often called the “Forgotten County” — a place with one of the highest unemployment rates in California, where many hardworking families live paycheck to paycheck.

Public records from Director Alex Cardenas’s Form 700 show he receives significant income from multiple paid positions:

• Over $100,000 per year as Executive Director of CASA of Imperial County

• $10,001 – $100,000 as IID Director, Division 1

• $10,001 – $100,000 from Vo Medical Center

• $1,001 – $10,000 from the Coachella Valley Association of Governments

In May 2024, Director Cardenas voted to give himself and the IID Board a 39.2% salary increase. Shortly afterward, the IID Board approved significant electricity rate increases that will raise costs for Imperial Valley residents.

At a time when many families in our community are struggling economically, an elected official drawing substantial compensation from several sources supported a large increase in his own pay while also backing higher electricity bills for the very people he was elected to serve. This raises serious and legitimate questions about priorities, focus, and accountability to ratepayers.

Our community needs leaders who fully understand the daily economic challenges facing Imperial Valley families and who demonstrate an undivided commitment to keeping electricity and water rates as affordable as possible.

I am running for IID Board Division 1 to bring dedicated, focused, and transparent leadership that puts the people of Imperial County first.

This election is an opportunity to demand higher standards of accountability.

Sincerely,
Carlos Duran
Candidate, Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors, Division 1

As a candidate for Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors, Division 1, I believe our community deserves elected leaders who demonstrate strong transparency and undivided commitment to the ratepayers they serve.

Public records show that Director Alex Cardenas currently receives income from multiple paid positions, including:

• Over $100,000 per year as Executive Director of CASA of Imperial County

• $10,001 – $100,000 as IID Director, Division 1

• Additional compensation from Vo Medical Center

• Additional income from the Coachella Valley Association of Governments

In May 2024, Director Cardenas voted in favor of a 39.2% salary increase for himself and the IID Board.

Imperial Valley families are dealing with rising electricity costs and bills. They deserve a director whose full attention is focused on controlling rates, improving service reliability, and responsibly managing our power and water resources — not balancing multiple outside paid positions.

Effective leadership requires clear priorities, proper separation of roles, and complete transparency. When an elected official draws significant income from several organizations while participating in decisions about their own compensation, it naturally raises legitimate questions about focus and accountability.

I am committed to serving IID Division 1 with one clear mission: delivering affordable and reliable electricity and water service while restoring public trust through open and accountable leadership.

This election gives voters the opportunity to demand higher standards of transparency and dedication to our community.

Sincerely,
Carlos Duran