Valley leaders push for representation in IID in new commission
Local leaders from the Coachella Valley are pushing for fair representation within the Imperial Irrigation District.
IID's board has no representatives from the valley, even though the district provides utilities both here and in Imperial County.
Thursday, the brand new Coachella Valley Energy Commission came together for the first time in Coachella. It's a group made up of representatives from both the valley and IID.
They're setting out to determine what the future looks like when the 99-year power lease expires in 2033.
"Whether we continue, whether we divorce," said Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez.
Assemblyman Chad Mayes introduced a bill to get a Coachella Valley representative on IID's board. The district, however, doesn't want to give up control of water, which is provided exclusively in Imperial County.
"This is not about water rights, this is not about taking Imperial County's water," Hernandez said.
Instead, the commission was formed. But it's role is only advisory – and members don't have any control over the board.
"I think it was also a defensive mechanism to avoid what was being proposed in the legislation," said La Quinta Mayor Linda Evans. "Which was to have elected representation from the Coachella Valley, which represents clearly the largest portion of IID's customer base and revenue base."
Evans said she's open to the collaboration, but maintains a level of skepticism.
"The actions of the past of the IID board – they have not demonstrated a willingness to cooperate," she said. "This is their effort to show that they want to be more cooperative."
Gloria Fernandez represents unincorporated communities like Mecca and North Shore. She's fighting for equal representation after she says huge outages in the valley haven't been prioritized.
"The infrastructure, the poles, everything is old," Fernandez said. "It needs to be replaced."
Valley leaders said they hope Thursday's meeting is the first step in the right direction.
"We'll just have to wait and see how far we get in this process," Evans said.
The commission will meet monthly.
