IID bill placed on hold, Garcia organizing talks on utility’s future in the valley
For now, the Imperial Irrigation District’s board will not have to adopt a Riverside County-heavy board majority.
Thursday, AB 854, a bill proposed by Assemblymember Chad Mayes (R) which seeks to add six Riverside County seats to IID’s current board, was placed on hold by the Assembly Appropriations Committee, according to a release sent out my Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia’s (D) office. Currently, the IID board’s five seats are solely occupied by members from Imperial County.
The bill will now be turned into a two-year bill, to allow for local input, discussion, and negotiation.
Garcia, who represents the 56th California Assembly District, intends to host discussion locally as work is done to find out what the future of the IID looks like in the Coachella Valley.
“After speaking with both Imperial Irrigation District and the Coachella Valley Water District, they have both agreed to begin meetings to examine the 1934 agreement and the possibility of extending the electricity service agreement in the Coachella Valley service area,” Garcia wrote in a statement on the decision.
When Mayes bill was proposed, an IID spokesperson viewed it as a “direct attack on the authority of the IID board,” and the district went as far as to threaten to discontinue service in the East Valley entirely.
“People of the Coachella Valley do have representation and so that’s something we want to make clear is that if there is a customer that has an issue they can always come to one of our service centers here in La Quinta on Avenue 58,” said Emmanuel Martinez of IID.
IID’s pulling their services would force customers to switch to Southern California Edison, and adjust to the prospect of a higher utility bill.
“I will continue engaging to bring everyone together to reach a common, equitable solution that prioritizes the rights and power affordability for ratepayers.”
At the time of this publication, Chad Mayes had not issued a statement on the recent update on AB 854.
