Imperial County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Imperial County, California public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Duplicate mail ballots ahead of November 3 election
The registrar mailed 160 duplicate ballots by mistake, and is scrambling with FAQs, PSAs and vote centers. Also, a new state law (SB 884) could delay results past 8 p.m. if any polling place in California stays open late.
Storm response and deferred facility maintenance
With a very strong El Niño expected to peak in December, the board declared a local emergency so fire and OES can pre-position flood-fight materials and run regional briefings.
Border Traffic Congestion
Calexico residents are fed up with brutal border traffic, but the city council put off a decision again as members argued over circulation plans. That means the gridlock—and the time and money it costs locals—isn’t going anywhere yet.
Red Earth intersection safety
Supervisor Kelley urged the county's transportation commission to act on the deadly Red Earth intersection, citing roughly six fatalities; a Caltrans roundabout proposal drew skepticism.
Lithium Valley funding and expenditures
Eric Reyes said outreach groups are struggling to educate the public about Lithium Valley and asked the county for help and for movement on a community benefits agreement.
Supervisorial term limits ballot measure
Escobar and Cardenas-Singh wanted voters to decide in March 2028 whether to cap supervisors at three terms (12 years). Hawk, Price, and Kelley balked at the timing days before an election, and the motion failed 2-3. Several residents pushed for a stricter two-term, eight-year limit.
Community Air Protection and air quality education
The Air Pollution Control District walked through decades of ozone and particulate data, noting Calexico's border-driven pollution and a mobile H2S monitor moving north toward the Salton Sea to track New River impacts.
Updated CEQA regulations
The county wants to modernize its local environmental review rules, but critics say the changes make appeals harder for residents and remove a layer of protection by letting developers appeal the level of environmental analysis to the Board. The vote was pushed a week for fine-tuning.
Airport funding and appointments
Advanced Air pitched its bid to restore commercial flights from Imperial airport to LA (via Hawthorne) and Phoenix with multiple daily flights and flat pricing; the Board took no action yet.
Recall effort against Chairwoman Price
A former Imperial councilmember formally noticed intent to recall District 3 Supervisor Peggy Price, citing storm response, airport funding, fire staffing, and transparency failures. Recall efforts hinge on signature gathering and an eventual election.
Nyland fire and public safety response
The county finished rebuilding five homes destroyed in the Nyland fire using $2.28 million of a $2.5 million CDBG grant, returning the leftover $336,919 to the state.
Voter outreach and low election turnout
A resident revealed that a $50,000 outreach allocation for low-propensity and limited-English voters was never actually delivered to the Registrar of Voters due to a motion mix-up — and the county now has the state's lowest voter turnout at 22%.
Adult Residential Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facility Phase 2
Imperial County is building its first residential substance use treatment facility, so residents won't have to leave the valley for care. The Board approved the $14.1 million Phase 2 construction agreement, with groundbreaking April 30 at 1319 South Clark Road.
Colorado River water reallocation
Supervisor Kelley wanted the county to demand an independent economic analysis of IID's water transfers, arguing fallowing strips jobs and tax base while federal drought money flows to IID. The Farm Bureau and others asked for more stakeholder vetting, and the board tabled it 5-0.
Deteriorating county roads, particularly Bess Road
Supervisor Hawk reported working with Public Works on a priority list of pothole-damaged roads after recent rains doubled some potholes in size.
Homeless housing and behavioral health services funding
The county is putting serious money into homelessness services: a $5.46 million agreement with National Healthcare and Housing Advisors plus amendments adding about $400,000 to Catholic Charities' Day Center and the Hollies Affordable Housing Project.
WIOA youth workforce program funding
The county renewed its $1.59 million Project Connect youth jobs agreement with IVROP, serving roughly 220 young people with paid work experience, career training and financial literacy — all federally funded.
North End cooling centers and extreme heat
Residents from Niland, Slab City, and Calipatria blasted the county because North End cooling centers won't open until July 1 while triple-digit heat already kills — more than ten neighbors died of heat illness last year. Staff said staffing delays were the cause and promised to explore opening earlier next year.
Detention facility property tax exemption
The board unanimously backed a bill that would strip the welfare property-tax exemption from for-profit detention facilities — directly targeting the Imperial Regional Detention Facility, whose nonprofit ownership structure has avoided millions in property taxes. Critics called it a $60 million giveaway; defenders noted 250 full-time jobs.
Cade Poe Colonia sewer rates
Sewer rates in this low-income colonia have been frozen at $30/month since 2005 while the district loses up to $200,000 a year and owes the county about $2.5 million. Breaking even would cost residents $350 a month — a decision supervisors couldn't make in one meeting.
April 7 lot merger controversy
Residents are still upset about last week's chaotic meeting over a lot merger tied to a 330-megawatt data center. One speaker filed a formal Brown Act demand to void the vote, saying the public was silenced on the data center, and another described being arrested. The Board defended its staff but the controversy isn't going away.
Seville 4 and Seville 5 solar and battery projects
A resident cited San Diego's 17-day Gateway battery fire, urging the county to stop amending its general plan and zoning to allow battery storage everywhere until emergency response capacity is proven, including larger setbacks.
Veterinarian shortage in Imperial County
With no large-animal vet locally and residents traveling to Indio, Yuma or Mexicali, the county is crafting a $375,000 recruitment program — but it goes to the Community Benefit Committee first for review.