I woke up early yesterday morning to find this headline at the Daily Independent and then I watched the video of the California State Senate’s Natural Resources and Water Committee meeting held on July 10th. (Video Below)

Grove lambastes Peters, Ridgecrest City Council during hearing as water bill advances By Aaron Crutchfield July 10, 2025

On May 2nd, 2025, it was two members of the Ridgecrest City Council, Kyle Blades and Scott Hayman, together with City Manager Ron Strand, who were grilled by Kern County Supervisor David Couch regarding a letter and testimony given to the Assembly committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife. You can read all about it here:

On July 10th, it was Kern County Supervisor Phillip Peters’ turn to sit in the hot chair, and he got his head cut off. (lambasted is good too DI).

During the meeting, State Senator Shannon Grove not only lambasted Peters, but she also laid him out cold on the floor with a one-punch that could be heard all the way to Ridgecrest. We like the “off with his head” phrase of the day to describe our recommendations regarding what she should do to Kern County Supervisor Phillip Peters (and his sidekick attorney Phill Hall).

“You’re on the wrong side of this issue my friend” – State Senator Shannon Grove, July 10, 2025

Supervisor Peters is the only member of the Kern County Board of Supervisors that’s actively involved in the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority, and he’s Kern County’s representative on the board of the GA. Holding his hands during the entire life of the GA and the creation of the valley’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan is the attorney for Kern County that’s been plotting every move and every “legal strategy” of the GA. His name is Phill Hall.

Keep that in mind as Mr. Hall is a central figure in everything the GA does, he is technically the legal advisor to the Kern County Board of Supervisors and Kern County on all things related to SGMA and water. Supervisor Peters is merely acting as the representative of the Board of Supervisors on the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority. Councilman Scott Hayman serves in the same capacity as Peters on the GA only Hayman acts on behalf of the Ridgecrest City Council.

Any actions taken by Phill Hall and Phillip Peters are taken on behalf of the Kern County Board of Supervisors and everything they’re doing is supposed to be for the benefit of the people living in the Indian Wells Valley. This is not the case in reality, and the board knows it. Peters and Hall have been caught red handed, promoting a legal strategy to change the rules of the SGMA adjudication ballgame, and Senator Grove just chopped off their heads.

The only suggestion that I would make to the honorable State Senator from Kern County is to speak very loudly into the microphone, with the touch of an angry mother scolding a child, and strap on a saber so they know you’re going to cut their heads off during questioning.

Because of the fact that it’s hard for me to hear all of it, I’m going to paraphrase all of it thusly:

Senator Grove: Phil, I love you like you were my first born, (long pause) but (uh oh), didn’t the Kern County Board of Supervisors hold an emergency public meeting where you asked the board to approve of these two bills?

Supervisor Peters: Yes maam.

Senator Grove: Did anybody on the board like your bills?

Supervisor Peters: Uh, well, no maam, but I’m the “water expert” on the board, so they should listen to me. They’re ignorant on water, and our attorney told me to do it because he needs you to approve the two bills, AB 1413 and AB 1466 or he’s going to look like an idiot. (Note: Capitol Core’s doing the cooking and burning the food)

Senator Grove: Ok, so what about the City of Ridgecrest. Who signed this shit? (Holds up a letter signed by Ridgecrest City Councilman Kyle Blades.)

Supervisor Peters: Uh, well, they approved that, uh, I don’t know what they do, uh, but I think they did it as a consent item.

Senator Grove: No Phil, you know better. They never held any meetings, either public or private, and they never approved anything, yet they prepared a letter stating that they support these two crappy bills and not only that, Phillip, they left former Mayor Eric Bruen’s name as Mayor on the letterhead. Are you kidding me? Didn’t you see the three stooges standing in front of you on May 2nd?

(Image below is Councilman Scott Hayman, City Manager Ron Strand, and Councilman Kyle Blades answering questions from Kern County Supervisor David Couch on May 2nd, 2025: Did the Ridgecrest City Council ever held a public vote on AB 1413 or 1466? Do they look guilty to you?)

Supervisor Peters: Uh, oh, well, ok.

Senator Grove: Don’t you know Bruen’s an idiot and perpetuates nasty rumors about the water district? Don’t you know he’s not the mayor, it’s some guy from nowhere named Endicott? Get out of my face Phil. Go to your room.

Senator Grove: On second thought, off with his head! I vote no on these two bills, and the City of Ridgecrest should be ashamed of themselves for lying to the state legislature.

End of Story. (With apologies to Senator Grove for putting words in her mouth. Hope we got it right, and her comments or corrections would be much appreciated.)

BACKGROUND

“Either you knowingly violated the Brown Act by discussing a position made by consensus of the Ridgecrest City Council without appropriate public notification and reporting, or you perjured yourself at a hearing by claiming a position that was not legally substantiated.” – Scott O’Neil

We’re Taking Bets, Who’s Taller?

We believe Senator Shannon Grove is taller than this guy, influence peddler Michael W. McKinney, the founder and CEO of Capitol Core Group.

Please confirm by sending your height estimates to Publisher@Roadrunner395.com. Anyone that wants to bet has to guess the exact height of Michael W. McKinney and provide some sort of confirmation, like a mug shot with a height scale in the background.

And we’ll also bet that State Senator Shannon Grove and Kern County Supervisor David Couch have a ton more integrity than Supervisor Peters, Councilmen Kyle Blades and Scott Hayman, City Manager Ron Strand, City Clerk Ricca Charlon, and Capitol Core Group have combined.

Well guess what, Mr. Hall and Mr. Peters have now become a very, very big problem for Kern County. You see, Kern County is the largest agriculture producing county in California. And the laws that are currently winding their way through the halls of Sacramento, AB 1413 and AB 1466, are strongly opposed by every major agriculture association and business lobby in the State of California.

That’s All Folks!

In addition to the trade associations and their lobbyists, and at least a dozen Groundwater Sustainability Agencies and their lobbyists, also joined the opposition. That brings us to Capitol Core Group.

During the meeting, a representative from Capitol Core Group came to the podium and said “on behalf of the City of Ridgecrest, we support” the two bills. Ok, whatever. You guys are in trouble too. Did Ron Strand put you up to this and pay for your “services”? The lies continue to emanate from the City of Ridgecrest and Capitol Core Group.

The Ridgecrest City Council has not approved the two bills; they’ve never voted on them or held a public meeting to debate them. A presentation by Capitol Core does not count.

“SGMA is a Failed Experiment” – Senator Melissa Hurtado, July 10, 2025

The final analysis of this chapter in The Great Indian Wells Valley Water War® wouldn’t be complete without a buried Lede: During her comments, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-16) said SGMA is a failed experiment.

“SGMA was a well-intentioned law. It is a failed experiment. It’s created winners and losers. If you have money, you have power. We’re seeing a lot more fallowed land, and I believe it’s creating more Valley Fever. This issue has to be figured out sooner than later”.

State Senator Melissa Hurtado is the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate. Her Senate District in California’s great Central Valley is home to some of the richest and most fertile farmland in the world, one of the top oil-producing counties in the United States and resilient working-class families who power the Valley economy.

• Melissa is the first from her family to graduate from college—she attended Sacramento State University, where she received her degree in Political Science. Prior to becoming the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate in 2018, Melissa served on the Sanger City Council (2016.)
• In the Legislature, Melissa is known as a thoughtful policymaker who works across party lines to improve the quality of life for residents and to ensure rural voices are heard at all levels of government. She focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard in the State Capitol — access to clean air and water, food insecurity, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care in rural communities.

We think Senator Hurtado is a rising star, the only problem is she’s a Democrat. UGH! Anyone with this much common sense can’t be ignored. She must be flipped to the Republican Party ASAP and she will continue to win for her district.

Click on the image below (Video opens in new window): Natural Resources and Water Committee meeting held on July 10, 2025. Timestamped to begin at discussion of AB 1413.

Actual Comments by Shannon Grove (The Daily Independent), July 10th, 2025, Committee on Natural Resources and Water:

“The bill or the agenda item that you guys brought forward on this particular adjudication was not even given a second on the county board of supervisors, and now here you sit before me at the state trying to appeal to the state of California to address the issues that we have in our district, which disenfranchises adjudication in the entire state of California for every groundwater sustainability program or GSP that’s been put in place where they have to start at ground zero because this bill is not thoughtfully brought out. And like I said earlier, I’ll reserve that to say that you’re on the wrong side of this issue, my friend.”

After comments from another senator on the committee against the bill, and an opportunity for Papan to respond, the committee ultimately voted 4-3 “do pass” and to send the bill to the Judiciary Committee. Grove was one of the no votes.

On Wednesday, the same committee voted 5-2 to pass the other groundwater adjudication bill, AB1466, and send it to the Judiciary Committee. Grove voted no on that one as well.

Click on the image below to watch the Senate Committee hearing on AB 1413. The video will open in a new window and is timestamped to begin at 3:04:55.

https://www.senate.ca.gov/media/senate-natural-resources-and-water-committee-20250708?time[media-element-18104]=11095.602912

Bob Moldenhauer: We’ll get you some answers on that question soon…

CONTROVERSY AT THE CITY OF RIDGECREST: Is This a Mere Brown Act Violation or Conspiracy to Commit Fraud and a Federal Crime? (California Assembly Bills 1413 and 1466)