The word for the day is “plethora”

October 18, 2026, First Published: 9:00 a.m. Pacific

Editorial by Mike Sinnott, Publisher of Roadrunner395.com

Ridgecrest and the Indian Wells Valley in California

Publisher’s Note: This Post will serve as the foundation for further legal actions against the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority, a Government Sustainability Agency (GSA) created under California’s law called SGMA. These legal actions include the potential filing of a Class Action Lawsuit, complaints to the State Bar of California, or prosecution by the Kern County District Attorney, the Attorney General of the State of California, or the Department of Justice.

Publisher’s Note: This Post will be frequently edited and updated over the next several weeks.

TEMPORARY VIDEO: For this Post, and occasionally on a number of other posts, I’ll be updating them with various music videos that define what’s called “Pop Culture” and how they set the tone for the Post you’re about to read. Caution, these videos may contain offensive language and profanity. I don’t recommend you listen to them but be aware of them and what they mean to the people that listen to them. They become a part of the listener’s Awareness and our culture. We all have our own unique Awareness, which is the sum total of your heredity, your environment and your life experiences. It is what it is.

This Post contains an important lesson about corruption and fraud concerning groundwater, and simply by reading it, you’ll understand how you’ve been harmed financially by SGMA and what you can do about it. It’s a very complicated story.

What is SGMA (Pronounced Sig-ma)

California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), is a flawed law and a failed experiment. It picks winners and losers. It governs the use of groundwater. Groundwater is private property. Groundwater is a water right inherently included as a private property right when real estate is purchased. It’s just like a mineral. When you buy real estate, you then own the water and the minerals, oil and gas under the land unless it’s been retained in the deed from the property seller.

The “undesirable results” from SGMA are only now just beginning, over twelve years since the law was passed and signed by former governor Jerry Brown. SGMA is a license to commit fraud, the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) is a fraud, and the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (IWVGA) is an abomination.

The implications of the actions by the City of Ridgecrest and the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority concerning legislation called AB 1413 and sponsored by the IWVGA can’t be understated. The actual damages from SGMA will rise to the hundreds of billions by 2040, the year that’s been targeted by California’s Department of Resources to achieve “sustainability” with groundwater.

This is a very big deal, and the implications of any legal actions in this case are profound.

A study by two professors at UC Berkeley found that nearly 1,000,000 acres of San Joaquin Valley farmland will be fallowed, 85,000 jobs will be lost and $7 billion per year in economic damages to the agriculture industry will accumulate over the next two decades. In Kern County alone, over 300,000 acres will be fallowed. Kern County is the largest agriculture producer in the country.

During a hearing of the California Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water last year, Senator Melissa Hurtado (SD-16) stated that “SGMA is a failed experiment, it picks winners and losers”. Indeed, SGMA does that and much more. Everyone is a loser with SGMA. None of the legislators from California’s agriculture dependent districts supported SGMA when it was passed in 2014, and when AB 1413 was introduced by Assemblymember Diane Papan (D-21) it was met with fierce opposition from every major association in the state, including California’s Agricultural Council, the California Association of Realtors and the California Chamber of Commerce.

Agricultural Council’s Position on AB 1413 (2025)

The California Agricultural Council opposes AB 1413, arguing it would undermine the economic viability of agriculture by restricting groundwater pumping and limiting the ability of courts to set sustainable yields above validated plan levels

If there ever was a case which determines right versus wrong, this is the one. SGMA is wrong and here’s plan to stop the onerous implications of SGMA as well as to warn property owners what it means when the State’s hidden intentions are known by helping to write legislation like AB 1413 “just short of an endorsement”.

• Immediate Recourse – Censure, Complaints, Demands
• Evidence – Building the case – Conspiracy to Commit Fraud
• Glossary of Crimes – The list is quite long
• Attorneys to complain about, billing and invoicing, “Failed Legal Strategy” and more
• Board of Directors – Fiduciary negligence
• “Staff” are lying to you (Capitol Core Group, Attorneys in Fact, and Stetson Engineers)
• How to File a Complaint at the California State Bar

Legal Glossary (See below for more details)

• Conspiracy to Defraud the U.S. Government
• Legal Meaning of a “Lie of Omission”
• Legal Malpractice
• Improper Billing by Attorneys
• Fraud
• Misrepresentation
• Concealment
• Misallocation
• Misappropriation
• Attorney in Fact aka Lobbyist
• Board of Directors, Breach of Fiduciary Duties
• Board of Directors, Brown Act violations
• Complaint to the California State Bar
• Complaint to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)
• Complaint to the FBI

Is Everyone Breaking the Law?

Life’s not fair. We’ll never catch all the criminals (with or without license plate readers), and what should we do when the lawbreakers are the lawmakers? What recourse do we have as citizens in the United States of America when the “government” acts with intention to violate your civil rights, harm you financially or take your property. Who are the criminals then? Is Everyone Breaking the Law?

Publisher’s Note: The correct answer is quite possibly “yes”. Names are in Bold, crimes are in bold Italics. Any names are innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable shadow of doubt.

And what about the City of Ridgecrest and the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority? Are they the criminals? Have both the city and the “authority” done anything that rises to the level of Conspiracy to Commit Fraud, a federal crime? The answer is “yes” and “yes”. At the very least, is conspiring to sponsor AB 1413 and violating the Brown Act while doing so a Conspiracy to Commit Fraud and an Obstruction of Justice? The answer is “yes”, absolutely.

Obstruction of Justice is the willful interference with the legal process—such as influencing witnesses, destroying evidence, or impeding investigations—as defined in U.S. law, including statutes like 18 U.S.C. § 1503 and § 1512.

As a matter of federal law, it would seem that changing the rules of the ballgame in the middle of the game, or trial, is no different than obstruction of justice, especially when the intention of AB 1413 was to cancel the Phase Two portion of an ongoing adjudication lawsuit which would have eliminated the most critical aspect of the due process that was inherint in SGMA to begin with. Boom, your case is dead and you have no recourse.

Voting the criminals out isn’t good enough, and in the case of the former city manager of Ridgecrest, a municipal government employee named Ron Strand, the perpetrator of the crime has retired and today wants to run for city council. Don’t worry, he and Councilman Scott Hayman aren’t off the hook, they’re not going to flee the scene of the crime, and they might be prosecuted.

Here’s how they can and should be prosecuted

It would seem that the only way to prosecute this case would be through the federal courts with the investigation of the FBI and prosecution by the Department of Justice. That might become a bit complicated, because it was the Department of Justice that was, according to Michael McKinney of Capitol Core Group, contributing language “just short of an endorsement” to AB 1413, and it was the Department of Justice that represented the U.S. Navy at both the Phase One and Phase Two trial, and it was the Department of Justice that couldn’t or wouldn’t produce the original DRI 2-D model that was commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 2016 that was allegedly used by Stetson Engineers to “fix” the “Safe Yield” at 7,650 in the first place!

The DRI Model “Vanished”!

The depositions taken in the Phase Two trial tell us that the DRI 2-D model “vanished”! No, it didn’t. It was illegally withheld by the Navy and couldn’t be found by Dr. Sean McKenna, the Director of Hydrology at DRI and “expert witness” hired by the defense to testify at the trial.

The Desert Research Institute is Nevada’s nonprofit environmental research institute, founded in 1959, that conducts scientific studies on air, water, land, ecosystems, and climate across Nevada and around the world. DRI is a nonprofit research campus within the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) It operates as one of NSHE’s independent institutions and is a sister organization to the University of Nevada, Reno. The institute employs about 500–600 scientists, engineers, students, and staff across its Reno and Las Vegas campuses

Dr. McKenna was tasked to study previous studies in order to determine whether they were “reasonable” estimates by other hydrologists and to shred the Technical Working Group’s experts. When Dr. McKenna was asked if he’d seen the model or evaluated it, he said he hadn’t and all he did to locate it was to ask some people at the Desert Research Institute if anybody there knew where it was! Of course, John and Sue didn’t know where it was. Neither did anybody else he asked.

Steve Johnson, the CEO of Stetson Engineers and the “author” of the IWV’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan never saw it, and he never asked for it according to his testimony at the Phase Two trial.

In summary, nobody outside the Navy at China Lake ever saw the model, evaluated it or tested it. Nobody! And it’s been hidden on a hard drive in a computer somewhere at China Lake for 10 years! Shhhh! Secret city.

Perhaps now you understand how the Department of Justice undermined SGMA’s due process and concealed evidence at the same time the U.S. Government and the Department of the Navy were acting for the defendant in the adjudication lawsuit called Mojave Pistachios.

This gets even more complicated. Remember, there’s billions and billions of dollars at stake with SGMA in California, and the Federal Government is taking your water without compensating you for it, all in violation of the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. What we have here is Conspiracy to Commit Fraud at the federal level and it’s the U.S. Government that’s stealing your water! We’re gonna need a busload of attorneys.

Publisher’s Note: What recourse do you, a citizen and resident in the Indian Wells Valley have? You can make a list, and below you’ll find the information you need to know and what I strongly recommend you do.

1. Demand that the Ridgecrest City Council Censure Ron Strand, Kyle Blades and Scott Hayman immediately.
2. Demand that Ron Strand and Scott Hayman remove themselves from running for their respective offices.
3. File a Complaint at the California State Bar against the following attorneys. See below for more information:
   1. Keith Lemieux
   2. Phillip Hall
   3. Martin Koczanowicz
   4. John Vallejo
4. File a Complaint with the California Attorney General’s Office c/o Rob Bonta, Attorney General
5. File a Complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Conspiracy to Commit Fraud is a Federal crime)
6. Get off your fannies and vote for someone that will advocate for all of the above. You’ll be glad you did.
7. Don’t be afraid to go to a city council meeting and yell in a civil and modulated manner at the council. It’s your right and civic duty to do so and they hate it when you do.

Conspiracy to Defraud the U.S. Government

Currently, the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority is attempting to obtain Water Resource Development Act funds to build a pipeline in the Mojave Desert. They call it the “AVEK” pipeline, and it will transport water from somewhere else in California to the Indian Wells Valley. The pipeline will be built using federal money, the grant request has been filed but not yet appropriated by Congress, and now we have the evidence to prosecute the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority for Conspiracy to Commit Fraud against the U.S. Government. The predicate is that the GSP is, in itself, a fraudulent document containing gross misrepresentations.

It’s that simple, but beyond that, it gets very complex. Many crimes have been committed in the years since this Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) was first formed. Sponsoring AB 1413 is just one of them.

The Groundwater Authority is more like a dictatorship

You, as a resident and citizen of the United States of America, do have methods of recourse when the lawmakers break the law, and one of them is voting elected officials out of office. Beyond that, you can file lawsuits and make complaints or public comments at meetings. Unfortunately, you can’t vote the Board of Directors of the GA out of office.

The GA has no employees or “Staff”, just corporations, consultants, engineers, lobbyists and attorneys. All of them have their snouts in the pigs trough and you’re paying for it.

None of them have any reason to be accountable to you and they’d like you to believe there’s nothing you can do about it. Just take their orders and get back in line, and they’ll tell you how much of your water you can use before you have to pay them to use it. They have the U.S. Navy’s federal reserve water right to protect. (See Phase One for more details).

Kern County, San Bernardino County, Inyo County and the City of Ridgecrest all appoint their elected officials to sit on the board of the GA, and they also appoint an alternate director who may be a chief of staff, like Paul Itnyre in the case of Paul Cook, the San Bernardino County Supervisor or yet another attorney like John Vallejo in the case of Will Waddleton, a Supervisor at Inyo County. Supervisors Paul and Will are too busy to come to meetings much less attend remotely. They’re negligent and their alternates violated the Brown Act.

The GA is a dictatorship. The “authority’s” directors are appointed by their respective agencies, and they’re negligent at the very least. Their attorneys are incompetent, and their legal malpractice has become painfully obvious over the last 7 years.

Recourse and Prosecution

This is not only where the fun begins, but the time when we the people start hiring more attorneys. We’re providing you with a primer and a roadmap while refreshing your memory. This is what you can do, as a citizen or a resident, to make things right so that the people breaking the law suffer some consequences and stop doing what they’re doing to you and your family, which is giving it to you right up the kazoo. You can thank me, your humble and kind publisher later.

A Plethora of Crimes Have Been Committed

The Brown Act violation, by both the City of Ridgecrest and the IWV Groundwater Authority, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to criminality. We have a plethora of evidence now, and a plethora of crimes, and it’s why we’ve said that SGMA, California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, is a license to commit fraud, the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority has and is committing fraud, and the Groundwater Authority (GA) is a monstrosity.

plethora /plĕth′ər-ə/ noun

1. An abundance or excess of something.
2. An excess of blood in the circulatory system or in one organ or area.
3. Overfullness; especially, excessive fullness of the blood vessels; repletion; that state of the blood vessels or of the system when the blood exceeds a healthy standard in quantity

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition • More at Wordnik

Immediate Recourse

• Motion to Censure, former City Manager Ron Strand, Councilman Scott Hayman and Councilman Kyle Blades
• Complaint to the California State Bar, regarding attorneys Keith Lemieux, Phillip Hall, Martin Koczanowicz of the law firm Aleshire & Wynder.
• Complaint to the California State Bar regarding attorney John Vallejo, the Alternate Director for Inyo County Supervisor Will Waddleton, who’s the Director on Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority.
• Complaint to Attorney General Rob Bonta, State of California for everyone involved.

Motive (to come)

Evidence (more to come)

Exhibit A – Investigation and letter by Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer to the City of Ridgecrest.

• Brown Act Violation
• Wednesday, February 19, 2025, Closed Session, City of Ridgecrest. The only closed session prior to the Sacramento trip by Strand, Hayman and Blades with Mojave Pistachios on the agenda:
  • CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – Existing Litigation (GC Sec. 54956.9)
  • Mojave Pistachios, LLC v Indian Wells Valley Water District, et al.
  • Orange County Superior Court Case No. 30-2021-01187275-CU-OR-CJC
• Kern County District Attorney letter dated October 12, 2026, to City of Ridgecrest, Page 6: Conclusion:
  • The claim put forward by Councilmember Blades and Ron Strand, both in the letter and in Oral advocacy
  • asserting that the City of Ridgecrest was in support of passage of the legislation, to be true, should have
  • come with the backing of a lawful vote by the Ridgecrest City Council. This investigation has concluded
  • that no such lawful vote was held. There certainly was no such vote in open session, and if a vote were
  • held in closed session, it would not be lawful, as taking a position in support of pending legislation is not
  • a permitted purpose for a closed session. Such a vote, were it to be held, must have been held in open
  • session, with members of the community permitted to provide input.

Exhibit B – Comprehensive Adjudication Phase One and Phase Two trial transcripts, depositions and evidence entered into the record. See Adjudication, Important Documents on the IWV Water District website and see Phase 2 Trial Documents here: https://www.iwvwd.com/basin-adjudication-important-documents

Exhibit C – AB 1413 was Legislation sponsored, funded and likely written by the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority’s attorneys. For a recap of the GA’s “Failed Legal Strategy” start here:

Exhibit D – Video of IWV Water District President Ron Kicinski making public statements regarding the lies and slander officials from the City of Ridgecrest have made in just the last year and a half. The lies amount to an intentional attempt to financially harm the water district and negatively impact their A+ Standard & Poors credit rating. (to come)

Exhibit E – Video of Attorney in Fact for the GA, Capitol Core Group’s CEO Michael McKinney, during a presentation to the Ridgecrest City Council on June 18, 2026, regarding AB 1413, lying about who authored (wrote) the legislation. It wasn’t Assemblymember Diane Papan.

Michael McKinney was under contract and “paid by both the GA and the City”. Was Capitol Core Group’s contract to act as Attorney in Fact in writing? Who signed the contract with the GA? Who signed the contract for the same purpose with the City of Ridgecrest. Is there even a written contract? Did the city pay Capitol Core Group directly, or was the firm paid by Lemieux’s law firm or reimbursed by the GA? A forensic audit is needed.

Who is responsible for the acts of the GA’s Attorney in Fact when he or the representatives of Capitol Core Group et al. (Jeff Simonetti) lie or make gross misrepresntations? Please add Mr. Jeff Simonetti to the interview list. Does Capitol Core Group or their employees need to have a real estate brokers license or have they passed the bar or is a license not required. Is a proper agency relationship in writing?

Michael McKinney, CEO Capitol Core Group

Jeff Simonetti, real property negotiator. (Not pictured)

Capitol Core Group was “paid” by both the City and the GA.

Forensic Audit needed. Peace brother.

Exhibit F –

1) Conspiracy to Commit Fraud

923. 18 U.S.C. § 371—Conspiracy to Defraud the United States (U.S. Department of Justice)

If two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.

Exhibit G – Brown Act violations – City of Ridgecrest (and the IWV Groundwater Authority by extension and at the direction of the City/GA Attorney Keith Lemieux)

Legal Meaning of a “Lie of Omission”

A lie of omission is an intentional failure to disclose material information when there is a legal duty to do so, which misleads another party and causes harm. It differs from a direct false statement because the deception comes from silence or concealment rather than an explicit lie

When It Becomes Illegal

In U.S. law, silence alone is usually not unlawful, but omission can be illegal if certain elements are present

1. Duty to Disclose – Arises from a statute, contract, professional fiduciary duty, regulatory requirement, or a special relationship (e.g., lawyer–client, doctor–patient, real estate seller–buyer)
2. Materiality – The omitted fact is significant enough that a reasonable person would consider it in making a decision
3. Breach of Duty – The person with the duty fails to disclose the information
4. Intent or Negligence – The omission is intentional to mislead, or negligent in disregarding the truth
5. Causation and Harm – The omission causes actual harm, financial loss, or detriment to the other party

Legal Malpractice

Keith Lemieux, Phillip Hall, Martin Koczanowicz, Aleshire & Wynder.

Attorney malpractice, also called legal malpractice, happens when a lawyer’s negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, or unethical behavior negatively impacts a client’s case or legal rights. To qualify as malpractice, three key elements must generally be proven:

1. Duty of Care: The attorney had a professional obligation to act competently and in the client’s best interests.
2. Breach of Duty: The lawyer failed to meet the standard of care expected in the legal profession, such as missing deadlines, giving incorrect legal advice, or failing to investigate a case properly.
3. Causation and Harm: The attorney’s mistake directly caused measurable harm, such as financial loss, dismissal of a case, or missed legal opportunities. Simply losing a case or being unhappy with the outcome does not constitute malpractice

Improper Billing by Attorneys

Improper billing by attorneys generally falls under state bar rules of professional conduct—most notably the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 8.4 (Misconduct)—and can also be addressed under contract law, fiduciary duty, or consumer protection statutes.

Fraud

Fraud is the intentional act of deceiving others for personal or financial gain, often involving false statements, concealment of facts, or misrepresentation to induce someone to act to their detriment.

Misrepresentation

In legal terms, misrepresentation is an intentionally or negligently false statement of fact — made verbally, by conduct, or sometimes by nondisclosure — that is intended to deceive or cause another party to rely on it detrimentally, often to induce them into entering into a contract.

Concealment

Concealment in law is the intentional or negligent withholding of a material fact that one party has a legal duty to disclose, which can affect contracts, insurance, or other legal obligations.

Attorney in Fact

In legal terms, an attorney-in-fact is an agent granted written authority to make decisions or take actions for someone else. The person granting the authority is called the principal, and the appointed person is the attorney-in-fact (also referred to as the “agent”). This authority is created by a power of attorney (POA) document, which can be general (broad powers) or limited (specific, narrow powers)

Capitol Core Group is an Attorney in Fact. Obtain the written authority for the firm to be negotiating real estate and water purchases. Obtain the written authority to participate with others in writing the legislation AB 1413. Gather evidence of misrepresentations to public officials and in public statements or presentations.

Misallocation

In legal contexts, “misallocation” generally means the improper allocation of funds, resources, or tax payments — for example, assigning tax to the wrong jurisdiction — and is often defined by statute or contract.

Proposition 218 authorization. Statement of illegal application under the California State Constititution. Statement of purpose and non-compliance with reporting and ending date of Replenishment fees collected.

Misappropriation

In U.S. law, misappropriation is the unauthorized acquisition, use, disclosure, or misuse of funds, property, confidential information, or other protected material, often involving a breach of trust or duty.

Investigate if First Round Grant monies were spent on items not authorized. Extraction Fees and Replenishment Fees possibly misappropriated for items and expenses not authorized. Financial audits were years late. A forensic examination of all spending and revenue is necessary.

Board of Directors, Breach of Fiduciary Duties, Brown Act violations, Fiduciary Negligence

Count One: Under U.S. corporate law, which is largely shaped by state statutes (such as the Delaware General Corporation Law) and the Model Business Corporation Act, directors are statutorily and by common law obligated to act in the best interests of the corporation and its shareholders

Boards of directors are legally considered fiduciaries, meaning they owe the corporation and its shareholders a duty of care, a duty of loyalty, and, in many jurisdictions, a duty of good faith.

Count Two: In the case of the GA, you are the shareholders, i.e. the people. Fire the Board? Not possible.

Sponsoring legislation is not a defense against violating the Brown Act. This is really very simply a prima facie case.

Count Three: Fiduciary (criminal) negligence. Unrealized Damages are in the billions. Actual damages are in the millions.

Complaint to the California State Bar

You can file a complaint with the California State Bar by completing the official Attorney Complaint Form online at calbar.ca.gov and submitting it with supporting documents, or by calling the State Bar’s intake hotline at 800‑843‑9053 for assistance.

Overview

The California State Bar handles complaints about attorney misconduct, unethical behavior, or issues related to fees. You may file a complaint whether the attorney represented you or was an opposing counsel.

Steps to File a Complaint

1. Access the Complaint Form

• Visit the State Bar of California website (calbar.ca.gov).
• Navigate to Complaints & Claims or use the Attorney Complaint Form available under Quick Links.
• You may fill out the form online before printing and mailing it, or download and complete it by hand.

Individuals to be investigated for potential crimes, including the following:

• Invoicing not itemized
• Represented both City and GA – dual agency
• $375,000 Option Agreement
• Failed Legal Strategy
• “Attorney Client Privilege” – silenced the council on agenda, AB 1413
• Advised GA and City on Brown Act Compliance
• Legal malpractice

Invoicing

Measures “B” and “C” – City of Freemont

Legal Malpractice

Invoicing to GA or City?

Likely author of AB 1413

Resigned or was amicably divorced (fired) after AB 1413 became public knowledge.

Former Kern County Deputy Counsel

Former Groundwater Authority Counsel for Kern County

Legal Malpractice

Alternate Board of Director, Attorney

Brown Act Violations

He should have known the law too.

City Manager and “Staff” misrepresentations and actions

Brown Act Violations

Slander – IWV Water District

Misrepresentations

Misallocation of funds

Steve Johnson CEO, Stetson Engineers, reluctant expert witness at the Phase Two Comprehensive Adjudication trial.

Author of the GSP

Fixed the Safe Yield, Not Scientific

Vanished “DRI” Model, Not Validated

Redefined SGMA “Groundwater in Storage”

Misrepresentations, intentional.

Gross incompetence or negligence?

Paul Gosselin, Department of Water Resources, Director of SGMA implementation.

Witness for the prosecution.