May 31st, 2026

Ridgecrest California

Wouldn’t you know it? On the same day the legal briefs in the Comprehensive Adjudication lawsuit are released to the public (see below) multiple sources have told me that Ron Strand is telling his friends that he’s running for Mayor.

Add to that, just two days ago, Eric Bruen fired up his dormant political Facebook page after stepping his foot in the AB 1413 fiasco last year. Finally, the Daily Independent printed a short story interview on Friday with City Manager Travis Reed talking about annexation and a truck stop on Highway 395.

By this time, you might have come to the conclusion that your expectations of openness and transparency from the Ridgecrest city council and the IWV Groundwater Authority are too high.

You’re about to find out how corrupt the GA really is. I’ll write a post on this matter in the next few days. You won’t believe it.

Unless you’ve been paying attention to the serious business of the Groundwater Authority, much of which is conducted behind closed doors, you wouldn’t know how bad things really are in Ridgecrest or how untrustworthy and corrupt the players in Ridgecrest’s Power Cabal truly are. Ron Strand is the leader, along with City and GA attorney Keith Lemieux.

Maybe Ron and Eric think they can save the Groundwater Authority from legal bankruptcy, because the plans for the AVEK imported water project will come crashing down very soon. Lawman Ron will not be happy to hear about this.

The Comprehensive Adjudication Phase Two trial is set to begin in one week. Check back here tomorrow or go to the IWV Water District’s website to find the Phase Two trial briefs that were just released today.

The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority is in a heap of legal trouble. For more information, please see:

Here are FOUR Phase 2 Trial Briefs. They’re also available on the IWV Water District website along with exhibits, at the bottom of the Comprehensive Adjudication page:

The Comprehensive Adjudication Phase 2 trial begins on June 8th, 2026. The trial will be held at the Superior Court in Orange County, Judge William D. Claster presiding.

IWV Groundwater Authority and City of Ridgecrest:

IWV Technical Working Group (IWV Water District):

United States (DOJ-Navy)

State of California

Vote “NO” on Measures “B” and “C”!

Measures “B” and “C” are trickery. The council is using an excuse that the law is flawed and needs to be replaced with a new law that resets everyone on the council to a first term. Councilman Solomon Rajaratnam was shocked to learn of this hidden fact and pulled his support for both measures while wondering why he was kept out of the loop by his fellow councilmen.

The Ridgecrest City Council came up with this scheme because Councilman Kyle Blades determined that he should run for a four-year term while knowing that he would only be able to serve part of this term. He didn’t respect either the intent of the law or the will of the voters that voted for Ridgecrest’s term limit law fourteen years ago.

Blades will have to remove himself from the council next year if he doesn’t resign before then, which he should do as soon as the votes are counted.

Our featured image in this post shows Mayor Travis Endicott congratulating Ron Strand on his retirement during the city council meeting held on January 21, 2026. Councilman Kyle Blades is posing for the camera in the background. The Clown Show at the City of Ridgecrest continues unabated.

With just a few days until election day, we wanted to share our first post outlining the reasons dozens of local voters came together to try and stop these poorly written and poorly conceived measures. If you’re still not sure how to vote, we hope this will help you decide to vote NO on Measures B and C.

OUR Terms. NOT Theirs.
Vote NO on Measures B and C.

In 2012, after decades of frustration with long-term city politicians and a desire for fresh perspectives on our City Council, the citizens of Ridgecrest took action. A citizen-led measure was placed on the ballot to establish term limits for our city’s elected leaders.

The community spoke loudly and clearly: nearly 75% of voters supported term limits, ushering in a new era of accountability and ensuring that no one could hold power at City Hall indefinitely.

That same year, voters were also asked to choose between a two-year or four-year mayoral term. Again, voters made their priorities clear. More than 60% chose a two-year mayor, while only about one-third supported a four-year term. Ridgecrest voters wanted frequent accountability and responsive leadership.

Now, just 14 years later, our City Council is asking voters to undo those citizen-led and approved rules.

Measures B and C would replace the term limits and terms that Ridgecrest voters put in place with new ones written by City Council lawyers. Even more concerning, these changes would reset the clock for current councilmembers’ terms, effectively allowing them to bypass the very term limits voters approved.

In other words, the rules that were supposed to limit time in office would suddenly no longer apply… At least to the people currently in power.

Why did the City Council decide to make these changes? According to councilmembers, during a public meeting, they said there was an issue with how the term limits aligned with the length of council terms. But if that was truly the issue, it could have been addressed without resetting the clock for current councilmembers and without weakening voter accountability.

Term limits were created by Ridgecrest voters to protect accountability and prevent exactly this kind of political maneuvering.

These should be the people’s rules, not rules rewritten by lawyers to benefit the politicians they were meant to limit.

Spread the word. Talk to your neighbors. And on or before June 2, stand up for voter accountability and vote to stop the city from changing OUR Terms.

OUR Terms. NOT Theirs.
Vote NO on Measures B and C.