Sky Valley · Desert Edge · Indio Hills · Coachella Valley · 4,800 Residents and Growing
We Stopped ID-8.
Now We Know
How Big This Is.
On May 27, 2026, CVWD voted to withdraw the ID-8 consolidation. We won that round. What we found while fighting it is bigger than anyone expected.
Victory, May 27, 2026
CVWD Withdrew the ID-8 Consolidation. We Did That.
On May 27, 2026, the Coachella Valley Water District board voted to withdraw the ID-8 divestiture and consolidation process. The $50 million grant application to Mission Springs Water District is dead. The unauthorized Letter of Intent signed by General Manager Jim Barrett on February 5, 2026 without board authorization no longer has a live proceeding behind it.
The community of ID-8, Desert Edge, Sky Valley, and Indio Hills showed up repeatedly. Filed public records requests at midnight. Attended every board meeting. Submitted complaints to the DA. Read the no-records letter on the record with the General Manager sitting in the room. And won.
This meeting is recorded on the CVWD YouTube channel. The channel has restricted embedding on third party sites. Watch it directly on YouTube.
Watch on YouTube: May 27 CVWD MeetingBut winning this round revealed something larger. While we were fighting ID-8, we found a coordinated regional buildout of data centers, private water companies, and industrial infrastructure running through public agencies across the entire Coachella Valley and beyond. What follows is what we found.
The Bigger Fight
What We Found While Fighting ID-8
We were not looking for any of this. We found it by filing public records requests, reading Form 700 filings, and pulling threads. Everything below is sourced from public records, SEC filings, meeting minutes, and documented news reports. We invite you to verify every word.
Cadiz Inc. and the Mojave Groundwater Bank
A company called Cadiz Inc. (NASDAQ: CDZI) has spent 40 years trying to pump ancient groundwater from under the Mojave Desert and sell it to Southern California cities. Courts stopped them. Regulators stopped them. Environmental reviews stopped them. In 2025 they rebranded as the Mojave Groundwater Bank. On May 26, 2026, they signed a funding agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to advance the project inside the Colorado River system framework.
They explicitly name the Coachella Valley as one of their target markets.
Who Founded Cadiz and Who Owns It Now
Cadiz was co-founded in 1983 by Keith Brackpool, a British investor who had pleaded guilty in the United Kingdom to criminal charges including dealing in securities without a license before coming to the United States. He bought 45,000 acres of Mojave Desert land, established farming operations to lock in water rights, and built the company around one bet: that Southern California would eventually be desperate enough to buy his desert water. He served as CEO from 1991 to 2013.
The water lawyer Cadiz brought in is Scott Slater, a shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, which markets itself as the nation's leading water law firm. Slater wrote the book on California water law literally. His treatise, California Water Law and Policy, is cited by judges statewide. He taught at UC Santa Barbara. He served as Cadiz's CEO from 2011 to 2024 while remaining a Brownstein shareholder. From 1997 to 2003, Slater was the lead negotiator of the QSA, the largest conservation-based water transfer in U.S. history, for the San Diego County Water Authority. Brownstein held a stock compensation interest in Cadiz while simultaneously advising public water agencies on future supply planning.
- Heerema International Group Services SA: approximately 31%. A Dutch offshore petroleum construction company registered in Geneva, Switzerland. They build offshore oil rigs. They are not a water company. They led a $40 million investment in Cadiz in January 2023 alongside Odey Asset Management, a London hedge fund.
- B. Riley Asset Management LLC: approximately 6.3%.
- BlackRock Inc.: approximately 3.9%. This same BlackRock is an institutional shareholder of Melrose Industries, which owns GKN Aerospace. In late May 2026, 50,000 people in Garden Grove evacuated because a GKN chemical tank nearly exploded. The facility had documented safety violations since 2009. Maintenance budgets were cut. Shareholders collected returns. That is the business model.
European offshore oil money and a London hedge fund control the company targeting Coachella Valley groundwater. Verify at sec.gov, search CDZI.
The Stronghold Data Center in Coachella
On February 11, 2026, six days after Barrett signed the unauthorized ID-8 Letter of Intent, the Coachella City Council unanimously approved a Municipal Utility Development Agreement with Stronghold Power Systems Inc. to build what they called a Technology Campus. It is a data center. Six buildings. Three million square feet. 270 to 300 megawatts. 240 acres of farmland in eastern Coachella, across from mobile homes and two miles from an elementary school.
Stronghold Power Systems was created by Beverly and Scott Bailey, founders of Stronghold Engineering Inc., a 34-year-old construction company headquartered at 150 W Walnut Ave, Perris, CA. Stronghold Engineering has performed electrical infrastructure work at Coachillin, the industrial cannabis and warehouse campus in Desert Hot Springs, in MSWD's own service area.
On May 11, 2026, the City of Coachella held a community meeting about the data center. Three of four seated City Council members were present, constituting a quorum under the Brown Act. The meeting had not been properly noticed. City staff imposed sign restrictions and attributed them to the Fire Marshal. The Fire Marshal confirmed he had nothing to do with it. A formal cure and correct demand has been filed. The city's attorney is Best Best and Krieger LLP, the same firm that is CVWD's general counsel.
Best Best and Krieger: One Firm, Every Side
Best Best and Krieger LLP (BBK) is CVWD's general counsel. BBK is also the City of Coachella's city attorney. BBK represents the Salton Sea Authority. BBK's managing partner was personally involved in the Mojave Groundwater adjudication governing the same basin Cadiz wants to mine. In August 2025, BBK hired two former senior officials from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation: Michael Brain, former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner, and Gary Gold, former Bureau of Reclamation leadership who led Colorado River Basin water rights negotiations. The Bureau of Reclamation signed a Cadiz funding deal nine months later, on May 26, 2026. BBK hosts annual dinners for CVWD General Manager Jim Barrett at the ACWA conference. All of this is disclosed on Barrett's Form 700 filings, which are public record.
The Regional Buildout
This is not isolated to Coachella. Desert Hot Springs has approved millions of square feet of warehouses along the I-10 corridor including a 3.4 million square foot Amazon complex. Banning approved a 1.3 million square foot industrial warehouse in May 2025. The Bureau of Land Management approved 887 acres of public land east of Desert Center in Riverside County's Fourth District for a large energy project on June 1, 2026. One public meeting was held 60 miles from the site. In Imperial County, a developer named Sebastian Rucci is pushing a $10 billion data center that could use more electricity than all of Imperial County consumed in 2024, and 750,000 gallons of water per day. Rucci donated to a candidate running for the Imperial Irrigation District board, the body that controls the water and power for the entire county. The same playbook. One county south.
Interactive Connection Map
Click Any Node to See Who They Are and How They Connect
Every person and entity documented in this fight. Click a name to see their role, connections, and links to public records. Click anywhere outside to close.
Click any node to expand. All connections sourced from public records.
⚡ Breaking, April 20, 2026
MSWD Voted to Proceed. But Not Without a Fight
Today's MSWD regular board meeting was a continuation of the April 16 study session, which had been adjourned due to audio and technical failures before a clean vote could be taken. ID-8 residents returned to fill the room again. Two separate votes were taken on Resolution 2026-03.
Director Meyerhoffen moved to table the item entirely until CVWD's own board publicly voted to authorize the grant funding, a direct acknowledgment of the authorization gap we have been documenting. The motion died.
Director Meyerhoffen's exact words: "I'd like to table this item until we are certain the Coachella Valley Water District board has approved this grant funding request. While I respect CVWD's General Manager authority to issue a letter of intent, I feel the CVWD board should stand behind their GM with a vote."
After the first motion failed, a second motion was made with a critical change in wording. The original agenda title said "for the consolidation." The second motion added a single word: "for the potential consolidation." The board's own members flagged the original wording as misleading. The amended resolution passed.
Director Martin, raising concerns about the resolution title from the dais. (April 20, 2026 transcript)
MSWD General Manager Brian Macy, responding to the wording concern. (April 20, 2026 transcript)
What the Resolution Actually Authorizes
Vice President Griffith and General Manager Macy repeatedly framed the vote as merely "pursuing grant funding" and nothing more. Here is what the resolution text and the GM's own statements confirm about the scope:
- What MSWD says it does: Authorizes the GM to pursue a grant from the State Water Resources Control Board and sign any supporting documents they request.
- What the text actually says: Authorizes the GM to "sign and execute agreements and necessary supporting documents", broad, open-ended authority with no defined scope or ceiling.
- What the GM confirmed: They "never have to keep coming back to you [the board] if additional documents are asked for." The resolution pre-authorizes all future SWRCB requests.
- What still requires a vote: Annexation, LAFCO approval, and CVWD's formal divestiture, but all of those come after the grant process begins.
- What was not discussed: Why CVWD's General Manager signed the February 5 Letter of Intent without any board authorization, and whether MSWD is now building a $50M grant application on a legally defective foundation.
April 16, 2026, Study Session
What Happened on Thursday
The April 16 MSWD study session was the first public hearing on Resolution 2026-03. The meeting adjourned early due to complete audio and technical failures, before a vote could be taken. President Duff acknowledged at Monday's meeting that she had not been present Thursday ("I was the one that kept saying, I can't understand, I can't hear").
But Thursday's session produced one of the most significant moments of this entire fight:
Bermudez's April 16, 2026 written confirmation states: "After a review of our files, I was unable to identify any responsive records for items 3, 4 and 5", meaning no board authorization for the Letter of Intent, no closed session action, and no documented GM authorization. Barrett sat through this testimony without responding.
The April 16 study session video is available here:
Video begins at the point where public testimony begins. Full meeting catalog (April 16, April 20, and one earlier meeting) is in the Videos section.
Rate Comparison
What Your Water Bill Would Look Like Under MSWD
Vice President Griffith said Monday that MSWD's "goal is to not have you pay the $85 a month" in chromium6 remediation costs. That claim deserves a closer look, because MSWD's existing water rates are already significantly higher than what ID-8 currently pays under CVWD, independent of any remediation surcharge.
CVWD (ID-8)
Per CCF (hundred cubic feet / 748 gallons), Tier 1 residential rate
Chromium6 surcharge (proposed): +$85/month if no consolidation occurs and CVWD self funds treatment
Compliance deadline: October 1, 2027
MSWD
Per CCF, Tier 1 residential rate. MSWD uses a two tier structure; usage above 13 CCF/month goes higher.
MSWD also has chromium6 issues in its own wells (above 10 ppb as of Feb 2026), remediation costs there will also be borne solely by MSWD ratepayers under Prop 218.
Most recent Prop 218 rate increase: October 2025 (community committee directed)
Source: Tabitha Davies testimony at CVWD Sept 23, 2025 hearing (KESQ coverage); MSWD rates page (mswd.org/rates). CVWD rates at cvwd.org/198/Rates. Rates are approximate and subject to change. Verify current rates directly with each district.
If Your Monthly CVWD Bill Is Currently $100: What Happens?
Your $100 CVWD bill is a mix of a fixed monthly service charge plus volumetric (usage) charges. The rate differential between CVWD and MSWD means the volumetric portion of your bill would roughly double or triple under MSWD rates before any new surcharges.
Residential Household Scenario
Key point: MSWD says their goal is to eliminate the $85/month surcharge through the grant. But the base rate differential alone may result in a comparable or higher total bill, and MSWD's own chromium6 remediation costs for ID-8's four wells, under Prop 218, would still be charged solely to ID-8 ratepayers. No line item rate analysis for ID-8 under MSWD has been publicly presented.
Residential/Agricultural Combined Account (Farm Sanctuary / Small Agricultural)
Farms, community gardens, sanctuaries, and ranches that use significant water volumes will be disproportionately impacted. Agricultural and mixed-use properties cannot opt into a lower agricultural tier under MSWD, all service is domestic metered. As Tabitha Davies stated at the September 2025 CVWD hearing: "Our water usage costs would quadruple overnight."
Proposition 218, The Facts
What Prop 218 Actually Says and What Was Left Out
Vice President Robert Griffith invoked Proposition 218 repeatedly on April 20, including dismissing public commenters as "armchair lawyers" for raising it. Here is what Prop 218 actually does, what was said, and where the full picture differs from what was presented.
What Is Proposition 218?
Proposition 218 is a 1996 California constitutional amendment (Article XIII D) that limits how public agencies set fees and charges. For water districts, its core requirement is that property-related fees cannot exceed the proportional cost of providing service to the property paying that fee.
In plain terms: a water district cannot charge one group of customers more to subsidize another group. Rates must reflect actual service costs. This applies to both CVWD and MSWD.
MSWD ratepayers cannot pay for infrastructure improvements that only benefit ID-8
This is correct. Under Prop 218, MSWD cannot charge its existing Desert Hot Springs customers for building treatment facilities or upgrading pipelines that solely serve ID-8 customers. This is a real constraint, and it's why the grant funding matters to their proposal.
"Your chromium6 issues would need to be paid for by the people in ID-8 only", even under MSWD
This is the part Griffith did not emphasize: Prop 218 runs both ways. If MSWD takes over ID-8 and the grant does not cover all remediation costs, ID-8 ratepayers, not MSWD's existing customers, would bear those costs. The same Prop 218 constraint Griffith cited as a reason you can't expect MSWD ratepayers to help you is also the reason you can't expect MSWD to absorb your chromium6 costs. You would still pay your proportional share.
"MSWD's current ratepayers cannot pay for anything that's going to improve your area"
True, but that also means that once you are inside MSWD, MSWD's existing ratepayers cannot pay for your future infrastructure needs either. You would be a separate cost of service unit. Improvements to your water system would be charged to ID-8 ratepayers. The protection Griffith described works in both directions.
"Development has to be paid for by developers because that's part of the Prop 218 process... grant funding cannot go for laying pipe down Palm Drive"
While developer impact fees are a real mechanism separate from Prop 218 (governed by the Mitigation Fee Act), Griffith's framing conflates two different things. The $25 million capital reserve portion of the grant could legally fund infrastructure upgrades that benefit future development in the ID-8 area, even if it cannot be directly charged to existing ratepayers. Grant-funded capital improvements are not the same as ratepayer-funded improvements. The distinction matters.
Neither Prop 218 nor the grant application addresses the foundational authorization problem
None of the Prop 218 discussion on April 20 addressed the core issue: CVWD's February 5, 2026 Letter of Intent, the document MSWD's entire grant application relies on, was signed by CVWD General Manager Jim Barrett without any documented board authorization. CVWD Clerk Sylvia Bermudez confirmed in writing on April 16 that no responsive records exist. A valid Prop 218-compliant process requires a lawful foundation. If the Letter of Intent is unauthorized, every document built on it is on uncertain legal ground.
Bottom line on Prop 218: It is a real and important law. The MSWD board's description of it is largely accurate as far as it goes. But the way it was deployed on April 20, to reassure a skeptical public that their costs are protected, omits the equally important flip side: Prop 218 also means ID-8 ratepayers would be responsible for their own proportional infrastructure costs inside MSWD, with no subsidy from MSWD's existing customer base. The rates MSWD's current customers pay reflect their own system costs. ID-8 would be added as a new cost center, and the grant, if awarded, covers construction but not decades of ongoing operations and maintenance.
Timeline of Events
How We Got Here
June 1 to 3, 2026
BLM Approves Redonda Solar on 887 Acres in District 4 / Imperial County Hearings
BLM signs FONSI for Redonda Solar Project east of Desert Center, Riverside County Fourth District, on June 1. One public meeting held 60 miles from the project site. Imperial County Board of Supervisors hears public comment on data center buildout in Imperial Valley.
Regional PatternNewMay 28, 2026
Infinite Grid Capital Signs 1.1 GWh LOI for AI Data Center Power
Infinite Grid Capital, a firm publicly associated with Stronghold CEO Scott Bailey, signs a Letter of Intent with NeoVolta Inc. for 1.1 gigawatt hours of battery storage supply specifically to power U.S. AI data center infrastructure. Source: Globe Newswire.
Stronghold NetworkNewMay 27, 2026
CVWD Withdraws ID-8 Consolidation. Community Wins.
The Coachella Valley Water District board votes to withdraw the ID-8 divestiture and consolidation process. The $50 million MSWD grant application is stopped. The unauthorized Barrett Letter of Intent no longer has a live proceeding behind it. This is the result of months of organized community opposition, public records requests, DA complaints, and showing up.
VictoryNewMay 26, 2026
Cadiz Signs Bureau of Reclamation Funding Agreement
Cadiz Inc. signs a funding agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to advance the Mojave Groundwater Bank within the Colorado River system framework. BBK hired two former Bureau of Reclamation officials nine months earlier. BBK is CVWD's general counsel.
Cadiz / BBKNewMay 13, 2026
Supervisor Perez Rescinds Stronghold Support Letter After KESQ Inquiries
Riverside County Fourth District Supervisor Perez's office rescinds the March 9, 2026 letter of support for the Stronghold data center after KESQ news cameras started asking questions.
Perez / StrongholdNewMay 11, 2026
Coachella Town Hall Is an Illegal Quorum Meeting Under the Brown Act
Three of four Coachella City Council members attend a community meeting on the Stronghold data center, constituting a quorum under Government Code 54952.2. The meeting had not been properly noticed. City staff attributed sign restrictions to the Fire Marshal. The Fire Marshal confirmed he had nothing to do with it. All on video. Cure and correct demand filed.
Brown Act ViolationNewMarch 24, 2026
Former Coachella Mayor Hernandez Pleads Guilty to Felony Conflict of Interest
Steven Hernandez, former Coachella Mayor and former Chief of Staff to Supervisor Perez, pleads guilty to one felony count of Government Code 1090. Permanently barred from California public office. Hernandez had received a $4,900 campaign donation from Stronghold Power Systems in 2022.
Felony Guilty PleaNewMarch 9, 2026
Supervisor Perez Sends Letter of Support for Stronghold Data Center
Perez's office sends a letter to Stronghold Power Systems referencing Phase I and Phase II of the Coachella Technology Campus project and projecting approximately $50 million in new city revenue. Beverly Bailey, Stronghold's president, had donated $5,000 to Perez's campaign in June 2025.
Perez / StrongholdNewFebruary 11, 2026
Coachella City Council Unanimously Approves Stronghold Municipal Utility Development Agreement
Six days after Barrett signs the unauthorized ID-8 LOI, the Coachella City Council votes unanimously to approve the Stronghold Power Systems Municipal Utility Development Agreement for a 300 megawatt data center on 240 acres of farmland. City attorney is Best Best and Krieger, the same firm as CVWD's general counsel.
Stronghold / BBKNewMSWD Board Votes 3 to 2 to Pursue Grant, With Amended Language
After a failed motion to table (2 to 3) and a failed first vote, a second motion with amended wording: "potential consolidation" instead of "consolidation", passed 3 to 2. Duff, Griffith, and Sewell voted yes. Meyerhoffen and Martin voted no. The authorization gap in CVWD's Letter of Intent was not addressed.
MSWD VoteUpdatedApril 16, 2026, Study Session
Tabitha Reads "No Records" Letter Aloud; Barrett In the Room
At the MSWD study session, Tabitha Davies read CVWD Clerk Sylvia Bermudez's written confirmation aloud on the record: no documents exist authorizing Barrett's February 5 Letter of Intent. CVWD General Manager Barrett was present in the audience. The meeting adjourned due to audio failures before a vote occurred.
Key MomentPublic RecordApril 16, 2026
CVWD Clerk Confirms In Writing: No Records Found
Sylvia Bermudez (CVWD Clerk of the Board) confirmed in writing: "After a review of our files, I was unable to identify any responsive records for items 3, 4 and 5", meaning no board authorization for the Letter of Intent, no closed session action, and no GM authorization on record. This is now documented public record and part of the DA complaint.
Legal RecordFebruary 5, 2026
CVWD GM Jim Barrett Signs Letter of Intent to MSWD Without Board Authorization
Barrett signs the Letter of Intent initiating the consolidation process. No CVWD board agenda item authorized this between September 23, 2025 and this date. A complaint has been filed with the Riverside County DA's Public Integrity Unit.
Authorization GapDA Complaint FiledNovember 6, 2025
CVWD Special Board Meeting: All Five Directors, No Subject Listed
A special meeting of all five CVWD directors is reported in board director reports. No subject is listed in any public agenda in the record set. No ID-8 action item appears at any public meeting between September 23, 2025 and Barrett's February 5 Letter of Intent.
UndocumentedOctober 21, 2025
CVWD and MSWD 2x2 Director Meeting: No Public Agenda
A formal interagency meeting between CVWD Directors Nelson and Aguilar and MSWD is reported. Subject unknown. Not publicly noticed.
UndocumentedSeptember 23, 2025
CVWD Tables ID-8 Divestiture After Strong Community Opposition
More than 20 ID-8 residents filled the room to oppose the proposal. The board voted to table the item pending MSWD completing a financial and feasibility analysis AND a public process. Neither condition was documented as completed before Barrett signed the Letter of Intent.
Community Win (Temporary)Item Not DeadOctober 1, 2024
California Chromium6 Limit Takes Effect: 10 ppb
All four ID-8 wells exceed the limit at 10.4 to 12.5 ppb. The CVWD systemwide average is 9.4 ppb. The compliance deadline for ID-8 is October 1, 2027. By February 2026, MSWD's own wells are also found to exceed the limit.
Compliance TriggerBackground
What Is Happening and Why It Matters
The Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) is attempting to permanently transfer Improvement District No. 8, the water system serving Sky Valley, Desert Edge, and Indio Hills, to Mission Springs Water District (MSWD). This covers approximately 58,000 acres and would be an irreversible change. The overwhelming majority of ID-8 residents who have spoken on the record oppose it.
The official reason: California's new chromium6 limit (10 ppb, effective October 2024) means ID-8 wells test at 10.4 to 12.5 ppb. CVWD says fixing this would cost $25 million and raise bills about $85 per month. So they would rather hand the problem to MSWD and let California's Safe and Affordable Drinking Water fund cover it instead. But MSWD's own wells also exceeded the limit as of February 2026.
What they are not telling you: The chromium6 in these wells is naturally occurring geology present throughout the valley. CVWD's average across all their wells is 9.4 ppb, just under the limit. CVWD previously promised residents the issue would be addressed systemwide. Then they changed course and singled out ID-8 for divestiture.
The legal problem: The February 5, 2026 Letter of Intent that started this entire process was signed by CVWD General Manager Jim Barrett without any documented board authorization. A Letter of Intent to initiate a LAFCO reorganization constitutes a legislative action under California Water Code Division 12. A GM cannot sign it unilaterally. Either Barrett acted without authority, or the board acted in closed session without making the required public disclosure, a Brown Act violation. A complaint has been filed with the Riverside County DA's Public Integrity Unit.
MSWD Track Record
Before They Run Your Water
Nearly 1 Million Gallons Spilled. They Waited 2 Weeks to Report
On October 3, 2020, a holding basin wall failed at MSWD's Alan L. Horton Wastewater Treatment Plant in Desert Hot Springs. The Regional Water Board estimated the total spill at 943,738 gallons. MSWD waited approximately two weeks to notify state authorities, a direct violation of immediate reporting requirements. The CRWQCB issued Notices of Violation in January and June 2021. MSWD faced up to $9.4 million in potential fines and settled for $175,000. A board director publicly alleged the board had been "lied to" about the situation.
Sources: Uken Report (2021), Ron's Log DHS Archives
Class Action: Overcharging Customers for 3 Years with Broken Meters
Water meter registers began failing across MSWD in 2019. Instead of replacing them, MSWD issued estimated bills and charged the higher Tier 2 rate for usage never measured. A class action was filed in September 2020 (Padilla v. MSWD, Case No. RIC2003782). MSWD settled in 2022 for $225,000 plus attorney fees. Customers received only partial reimbursement. Now-President Amber Duff ran for the board in 2022 specifically because of this issue, stating the board "had to be aware that its actions of estimating customers water usage were unlawful."
Sources: Uken Report (2022), Desert Sun via Yahoo News (Oct 2022)
MSWD's Own Wells Also Exceed the Chromium6 Limit
In February 2026, MSWD issued a water quality notice confirming their own running annual average chromium6 levels were above California's new 10 ppb limit. Under Prop 218, MSWD's existing ratepayers are bearing the cost of their own remediation plans. This is the agency being proposed to solve ID-8's chromium6 problem.
Sources: MSWD official notice Feb 2026
Rate Comparison: Documented by Public Testimony
MSWD (proposed new operator Tier 1): $2.30 to $3.00+ per CCF
Documented by Tabitha Davies at the September 2025 CVWD public hearing. Verify at cvwd.org and mswd.org.
Meeting Videos
Watch It For Yourself
Full meeting recordings in chronological order. Watch them in full, no edits, no commentary, and decide for yourself what is happening. If a video does not load (some videos have embedding disabled by the uploader), use the red "Watch on YouTube" button below it.
September 23, 2025: CVWD Public Hearing on ID-8 Divestiture
More than 20 ID-8 residents filled the room to oppose the proposed divestiture. The CVWD board voted to table the item pending MSWD completing a financial and feasibility analysis AND a public process. Neither condition was documented as completed before Barrett signed the February 5, 2026 Letter of Intent.
Sky Valley Community Meeting
Sky Valley residents organizing in our own community. Neighbors gathered to discuss the proposed consolidation, share what we know, and decide together how to respond. This is where the ground-up resistance to ID-8 divestiture took shape.
MSWD Water Quality Results Meeting
MSWD's own water quality test results. As of February 2026, MSWD's running annual average chromium6 levels were above California's new 10 ppb limit. The agency proposed to take over ID-8 has the same chromium6 problem in its own wells, and under Prop 218, MSWD ratepayers are bearing the cost of MSWD's own remediation plans.
February 2026: MSWD Meeting on ID-8
MSWD board discussion of the ID-8 consolidation in February 2026, the same month CVWD General Manager Jim Barrett signed the Letter of Intent without documented board authorization. Watch in full to see how MSWD discussed the project before the public testimony of April.
April 16, 2026: MSWD Study Session (Public Testimony Begins)
This is the session where the "no records" letter from CVWD Clerk Sylvia Bermudez was read aloud in public with CVWD General Manager Jim Barrett in the room. The meeting was adjourned before a vote due to audio failures.
April 20, 2026: MSWD Regular Meeting (Resolution 2026-03 Vote)
The continuation of the April 16 study session. Two votes on Resolution 2026-03. Motion to table by Director Meyerhoffen failed 2 to 3. Amended resolution passed 3 to 2 after Director Martin called the original wording "misleading" from the dais.
Additional Board Meeting Recordings
Two further public meeting recordings relevant to the ID-8 consolidation question. If you can identify the date or subject of either recording, please email Tabitha so we can label them properly.
Additional board meeting recording (date and subject pending verification).
Additional board meeting recording (date and subject pending verification).
Public Records
See It For Yourself
We are not asking you to take our word for any of this. Every claim on this page is built on public records, official agendas, written confirmations from agency clerks, and meeting transcripts. We have collected the evidence in one place so anyone, ratepayers, journalists, attorneys, neighbors, can read it directly.
Public Records Folder
All agendas, letters, written confirmations, transcripts, and supporting documents we have gathered are available in this public Google Drive folder. It is updated as new records come in.
Open the Records FolderHosted on Google Drive. View only. No login required.
What is in the folder
- CVWD board agendas, August 2025 through December 2025, showing no public ID-8 action item between September 23, 2025 and Barrett's February 5, 2026 Letter of Intent
- The February 5, 2026 Letter of Intent signed by CVWD General Manager Jim Barrett
- The April 16, 2026 written response from CVWD Clerk Sylvia Bermudez confirming "no responsive records" for board authorization, closed session action, or GM authorization
- Form 700 Statements of Economic Interests for CVWD and MSWD directors and senior staff in the public record
- MSWD agenda materials for the April 16 study session and April 20 regular meeting
- Public correspondence and notices we have sent to CVWD and MSWD
- Meeting transcripts as they are processed and uploaded
If you spot a record that should be added or you have your own to contribute, email [email protected].
⚡ We Need More Voices
This Fight Does Not Win on Its Own
A small group of neighbors stopped the September 23 vote. About 20 people in one room. We need every ID-8 ratepayer who can email, call, or show up at a meeting to do so. Your voice on the public record is what protects this community.
Send a short note to the MSWD and CVWD boards. One paragraph is enough.
📞 Call
Phone calls leave a record. Ask to speak to the Clerk of the Board and request your opposition be entered into the public record.
MSWD: (760) 329-6448
CVWD: (760) 398-2651
🪑 Show Up
Attend the next CVWD and MSWD board meetings. Public comment is two to three minutes. You do not need to be a public speaker, just an honest one.
Tell your neighbors. ID-8 includes Spanish speaking and Filipino families. Share this page in whatever language reaches them.
Take Action
What You Can Do Right Now
📝 Sign the Petition
Every signature is public record of resident opposition. It goes to both CVWD and MSWD boards.
Sign Now📋 Attend CVWD Board Meetings
The CVWD board has never publicly voted to authorize the consolidation. Demand they do so transparently, or confirm they did not. Subscribe to agenda alerts at cvwd.org.
CVWD Agendas📬 Contact the Riverside County DA
A formal complaint about the unauthorized Letter of Intent and potential Brown Act violations has been filed. Support it with your own written statement.
[email protected]🗂 File a Public Records Request
Request records from CVWD for any board authorization of the February 5 Letter of Intent, any closed session action items related to ID-8 between September 2025 and February 2026, and any interagency communication with MSWD.
cvwd.org📣 Share This Page
Share in English, Spanish, and Tagalog. ID-8 communities include Spanish speaking and Filipino families. Every neighbor counts.
esperanzassanctuary.com/leaveid8alone👁 Monitor LAFCO
Any actual transfer of your water system requires LAFCO (Local Agency Formation Commission) approval. That is a public process. Watch the Riverside LAFCO calendar for any ID-8 filing.
lafco.org