" "Where water flows- food grows". The Imperial Valley used to be the food basket of the united states. Now I suppose most of our food along with our oil is imported from abroad. How much more dependent will we become? "

" Ah great, let the IID Board be the new Local Entity! What a great laugh. They couldn't find gum under a school desk. I dream of the day when valleyites wake up and elect educated people who are well-read and traveled. We need novel ideas not thoughts from Ethel's cafe. "

" El CEntro has lots of industrial land available with infrastructure adjacent to Interstate 8 and Route 7 from Mexicali. Oh I forgot. these property owners don't buy trips to china for elected officials. "

" Why don't we concentrate the few resources there are in the Imperial Valley and grow out the sparsely populated industrial parks around the cities? There is plenty of existing space plus all the infrastructure is there already. The County Supes are pushing the development of an area square in the middle of a major fault line and a flood zone. These will require major engineering to attemp at mitigating the problems that will arise from natural events. Sounds like a bunch of law suits waiting to happen. "

" Watch us grow...like a tumor! We are not experiencing the normal growing pains of an advancing community. Growing pains are natural and occur in a healthy coordinated progression. The growth that the Valley is experiencing right now is an abnormal, out of control growth like cancer or warts; a sign of future deterioration. Maybe it’s time for a CAT Scan; a Community Activist Team that will evaluate the changes in this great body called Imperial Valley and come up with a treatment for whatever this disease is called because no denying it, something’s making us all so very ill. If the Board valued its health, it would take a breath of fresh air and read the pre-existing condition clause because as it stands right now, it seems to be willing to cut off its right arm when all the while the ache was in its heart. "

" Imperial County is one of the few counties in California that does NOT have a code enforcement team in their planning department to see if environmental mitigation is being implemented and to check and see if industries are in compliance. Currently, it is up to the planner who is the keeper of the applications for permits and presents the initial study report to the Environmental Evaluation Committee early on in the process to monitor the project for the life of the project. Now, what if that planner decides to quit or retire? What happens to the county component and responsibility of monitoring to see if the company is in compliance? Well, the project goes virtually unchecked by the county. What usually happens is that the planner has so many projects on dock that they don’t have time to monitor. Yes, yes…I do understand that the EPA is supposed to protect us and regulate these industries; however, the important component of the county serving as a watchdog is nonexistent. Moreover, I have heard it said at BoS meetings that if a company is cited to be out of compliance it will be shut down. However, when a company is fined by the EPA because they are out of compliance, the company pays the fine, keeps on polluting and considers it as the cost of doing business. And guess what? These industries are still in business. It is a scary thought to see that the county is eager and anxious to do business with dirty industries with not much capacity to see if the mitigation required in the EIR is adhered to. But, I’m sure the dirty industries know this about the county and that’s why they have chosen to do business here. Industries will wine and dine those politicians, and politicians will lie and try to buy the people by saying it is progress. Yes, we want jobs [good jobs, safe jobs], but we want to breathe clean air. Let us not fall into the trap of “What we call progress is the exchange of one nuisance for another nuisance.” In this case it is the nuisance of unemployment to the nuisance of an environmental health hazard. "

" Everyone should go to the Board of Supervisors meetings to get a glimpse at how they do business. It's scary, unfair, and blatantly irresponsible in many ways. I can't imagine how they conduct business behind closed doors. I've taken time off of work on several occasions to sneak a peek at "how" the board is attracting these "industries." Industries that want CEQA relief to further degrade our quality of life and exploit our resources. Industries that know nothing about our core values or anything about us-as a people. Industries that do not match our labor force. I've read document after document, listened to presentations, and watched "fly by the seat of their pants" developers come in and violate code. It would make for a good reality TV show. The developers come in knowing just how inept some of our leaders are. Wine and dine, moan and whine. As I've said in other posts, the IV is being raped. Forget the cheap date! Cheap dates are so last year. Well....it's time for us to say "no" and like everyone, our local boards need to be taught that "no" means "no." "

" I have been saying this for years. THEY ARE STEALING YOUR WATER!!!!! WAKE THE F@#K UP!!!!! "

" What a great deal!! 7.5 million for the county to spend on outsiders while the locals who are really affected by the water transfer and fallowing are left to fight over a few crumbs left over from the Local Entity! Such a deal!! "

" The Chinesee will suck this county dry and run it into the ground and then pack up and take their game somewhere else!!! Watch your wallet! So wrong suckeeers!!! "

" Yea, it so bad for the county especially when those freebie trips are attracting so much attention and many investor from China, that will be here today of all days (Centennial Banquet), these so called "backroom deals" stand to bring whole industries and the many needed jobs with them. This kind of thinking that undermines any efforts to attract investors here by making our area more enticing than others just helps to hurt the validity,effort and work we have all put in to make this Valley and its surrounding areas grow. So continue with your conspiracy theories while we watch this areas grow. "

" It's true...All those freebie trips to China for local government officials will benefit the property owners of the Mesquite Industrial park. Welfare for millionaires...Thank you elected politicians. Whatever happened to Request for Proposals from all interested parties? Nah! Typical secret backroom deals benefiting preferred developers. "