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.

1,688 Union Jobs: What the Imperial Valley Data Center Means for Working Families

Imperial County has the highest unemployment rate in California. The IVDC offers 1,688 union jobs — and certain officials are working to block every one of them.

Senate Bills 886 and 887: Sacramento’s Attempt to Change the Rules After the Game Started

State Senator Steve Padilla introduced legislation to strip data centers of CEQA exemptions — after the IVDC already received ministerial approval. Retroactive rulemaking has a name: it's called a taking.

$28.75 Million a Year: What IVDC Tax Revenue Would Mean for Imperial County Schools and Public Safety

At $28.75 million in annual property tax, the IVDC would fund hundreds of teachers and firefighters. The officials blocking it have not identified where that money comes from instead.

Property Rights Are Not Optional: The IVDC and the Rule of Law in California

I-2 industrial land has been zoned for heavy industry for decades. When a project conforms to that zoning and is approved, the law requires that approval to mean something.

Blocking the IVDC Is a Vote to Defund Imperial County Schools

Every year the IVDC is blocked is another year Imperial County schools go without $28.75 million they were promised. The math is simple. The consequences are not abstract.

Behind the Unemployment Numbers: What the IVDC Fight Means for Real Families in Imperial Valley

California's highest unemployment county is being told to wait while officials litigate against its largest job-creating project in history. The families affected deserve to be heard.