Sacramento vs. Imperial County: Who Gets to Decide What Gets Built Here?

Imperial County approved this project through its own lawful process. Then Sacramento legislators introduced bills to retroactively override that decision. This is not the first time.

Imperial Valley’s Independent Grid Is Its Greatest Economic Asset — Don’t Let Insiders Waste It

IID's independence from California's strained grid is a rare competitive advantage. It exists to attract exactly the kind of industrial investment the IVDC represents.

The $83 Million Question: What Is Comite Civico Del Valle’s Business Model?

A Desert Sun investigation revealed CCV demanded $83 million from a Lithium Valley developer to drop CEQA opposition. The IVDC federal lawsuit alleges the same playbook was being run here.

How Local Political Careerism Masquerades as Environmental Advocacy

Opposing a large outside developer from a position of local authority is politically profitable. The families who would have filled 1,688 union jobs are not the ones paying that political calculation.

Following the Money: Who Benefits If the IVDC Never Gets Built?

The standard rule for understanding political opposition: follow the money. The IVDC opposition has financial motives that have nothing to do with protecting Imperial Valley's environment.

Sebastian Rucci: What the Opposition’s Narrative Gets Wrong

The opposition's case against Sebastian Rucci rests on two episodes from his past. Both ended the same way: with Rucci winning. The media coverage doesn't always include that part.

Katherine Burnworth and the Politics of Blocking Jobs That Aren’t Hers to Block

The federal lawsuit identifies Katherine Burnworth as the alleged architect of the IVDC obstruction campaign. She is a city council member. The project is in county territory. That gap explains everything.

Why Imperial Valley Needs a Developer Who Isn’t Afraid to Sue the Government

A developer who builds in Imperial Valley needs to be able to withstand years of coordinated legal obstruction by government officials. Sebastian Rucci's record suggests he can.

The City of Imperial Is Fighting a Project It Has No Authority Over. Why?

The IVDC is in unincorporated county land. The City of Imperial filed suit anyway, spent taxpayer money, and lost. The appeal continues. Imperial residents should ask why.

Sebastian Rucci’s Ohio Charges: What Actually Happened, and Why It Matters

Rucci was charged with money laundering and promoting prostitution in Ohio in 2010. The major felony charges were dismissed. The media reports the charges; it doesn't always report the outcome.

The Non-Profit Industrial Complex: How Environmental Organizations Became Real Estate Players

When non-profit organizations derive revenue from CEQA lawsuit settlements, they have a financial interest in the existence of development projects — not in protecting communities from them.

The FBI Returned the Money: What Sebastian Rucci’s Federal Victory Tells Us

The FBI seized $600,000 from Sebastian Rucci's veteran recovery center. In 2024, the DOJ voluntarily returned it — with interest. No charges were ever filed. The Sixth Circuit backed him too.