IID Division 1 Election — June 2, 2026
69% Rate Hikes to Pay for Insider Failures. It's Time to Reform IID.
Decades of mismanagement drained the Imperial Irrigation District's reserves. Working families are paying the price. There's a better path — and it starts with accountability.
Join the Fight for Fair RatesThe Core Problem
A century-old utility broke its promise to ratepayers
For decades, the Imperial Irrigation District allowed favored energy developers to build lucrative projects without paying for the grid upgrades they required. Those costs — billions of dollars — were quietly shifted onto the backs of residential ratepayers.
Now the bill has come due. Facing a $1.3 billion maintenance backlog and a $100 million annual structural deficit, the IID Board implemented the most severe rate increase in its history — raising the residential base rate from 11.69¢ to 19.76¢ per kWh.
Why it matters
In a county where median household income is $56,000 and unemployment hovers near 19%, families cannot absorb a rate shock of this magnitude. The rate hike is a direct tax on poverty — and it was avoidable.
The Solution
A $10 billion investment that lowers your rates
The Imperial Valley Data Center would generate up to $30 million per year in net revenue for IID — enough to materially offset rate increases and fund grid modernization. The developer has offered to self-fund all infrastructure costs.
Yet the IID Board demanded a $4 billion upfront prepayment — a financial poison pill designed to kill the project. Meanwhile, 1,688 union construction jobs and $28.75 million in annual property tax revenue remain on the table.
Why it matters
The same board that raised your rates is actively blocking the single largest private investment in Imperial County history — an investment that would lower those very rates.
The Candidate
Carlos Duran: watchdog journalist, ratepayer advocate
Carlos Duran is a community journalist who has spent years covering the very issues that now define this election — IID rate hikes, Salton Sea environmental justice, municipal governance failures, and the valley's desperate need for economic diversification.
His four-pillar platform: Jobs. Smart Growth. Accountability. Ratepayers Come First.
His core commitments
- Demand IID explore all revenue options before raising rates further
- Support responsible projects that self-fund infrastructure and create jobs
- End backroom deals and the insular boardroom culture
- Ensure every IID decision prioritizes the ratepayer, not institutional insiders
Quick Facts
The data center, explained in 60 seconds
No potable water used
100% closed-loop "purple pipe" recycled wastewater system. Surplus treated water aids Salton Sea restoration.
Grid shock absorber
862 MWh battery storage (220 Tesla Megapacks) + interruptible service contract. IID can cut power during emergencies.
1,688 union jobs
High-wage construction employment over two years, plus 100+ permanent tech positions.
$28.75M annual tax revenue
Recurring property taxes funding schools, fire departments, police, and local infrastructure.
See all facts & myth-busters →
The valley deserves better. Demand reform.
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