Westlands Solar Project is More than Energy Generation, It’s Thrivability with Allison Febbo and Patrick Mealoy

Darcy and Darcy welcome back Westlands General Manager Allison Febbo to discuss their Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan. Joining them is Westlands' solar/energy partner, Patrick Mealoy from Golden State Clean Energy. Darcy V, a Westlands grower, shares that he is excited about this project.  Darcy B. takes a little more time to warm up to what she thinks is just another mega solar install, but she quickly learns that it's not at all! And although when fully operational, it is estimated 136,000 acres will be producing solar energy or providing battery back-up, it's not about energy; this is about taking assets (farm land) that are losing value because of water unreliability and putting them to work, making them valuable, and providing Westlands growers, California agriculture, and farming communities an opportunity to thrive. The Darcys have always said California needs to invest in water infrastructure to improve its overall water reliability for all sectors: urban, ag, industrial/commercial, and the environment, and until that happens, this plan takes lemons and truly makes lemonade.  You have to hear the details, how it works, what the long-term plans are, and more. Listen in!Send a textWe Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Chris White, Executive Director of the San Joaquin River Water Authority Exchange Contractors, joins Darcy Villere in the studio and kicks off 2026 with A LOT of information.  There are changes on how the Central Valley Project and State Water Projects are operating and Chris does his best to break it down for Darcy refreshes his memory and making sense out of all the moving parts – water being just one of them. Get comfortable and listen closely because the Bureau of Reclamation released major changes to Central Valley Project (CVP) operations including the removal of the Fall X2 requirement (if you don’t remember what that is, we had a whole episode called Call to Action Fall X2 and you can listen to that here) removal of the early Delta export-reduction (just reading that clears up any confusion, right?) and last and in no way least is a revision of the Old & Middle River flow criteria and Stormflex operations. Chris gives his perspective on the impact of these changes, and whether these federal changes impact the state operations.  If you drink water, use it to bathe, cook, or grow food, you don’t want to miss this episode!Send a textWe Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

In this episode of We Grow California, Darcy Villere sits down with Joaquin Esquivel, Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, to talk about the future of California water. The episode covers how the Board balances the competing needs of agriculture, communities, and the environment during an era of droughts, floods, and climate uncertainty. Joaquin shares insights on SGMA enforcement, groundwater recharge, and the state’s push to ensure safe, clean drinking water for all Californians. His perspective offers a clear look at the challenges ahead and the opportunities for collaboration across the state.Let us know what you’re thinking! You can provide comments, suggestions, questions, or recommendations at https://www.ecwaterpac.com/podcast/. Thanks for tuning in!Send us a textSend a textWe Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

After a few weeks of hiatus, California State Treasurer Fiona Ma joined Darcy & Darcy for an in-depth discussion on water, ag, infrastructure financing, and public service. If you don’t know what the state treasurer does, think of this position as the state’s primary banker. Treasurer Ma’s office processes more than $3 trillion in payments within a typical year and provides transparency and oversight for an investment portfolio of more than $124 billion, approximately $34.8 billion of which are local government funds. Ma has been a strong advocate for California’s agricultural sector and has worked on various initiatives to support farmers and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Her commitment to agriculture underscores her understanding of its vital role in California’s economy and environmental sustainability. But that’s not all!  Darcy & Darcy learned that Treasure Ma is the co-founder of the San Francisco Farm Bureau, and it all started with saving the historic Cow Palace! To find out the rest of the story, tune in!For more information on the State Treasurer’s office including funding and financing resources, visit www.treasurer.ca.gov/index.asp Let us know what you’re thinking! You can provide comments, suggestions, questions, or recommendations at https://www.ecwaterpac.com/podcast/. Thanks for tuning in!Send a textWe Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Darcy & Darcy welcomed California State Senator Anna Caballero, representing District 14, which stretches across parts of Madera, Merced and Fresno counties. Last year, Senator Caballero joined us and shared with us her efforts on SB 366, a bill that was intended to modernize the California Water Plan and mandated that the Department of Water Resources to set long-term water supply targets.SB366 died in committee, leaving many in the water sector wondering if the water plan would ever have any accountability. The Senator’s back with the Darcys to talk about SB 72, which was just newly signed into law. SB 72 picked up where SB366 left off, setting statutory long-term targets, with an interim target of 9-million-acre-feet. The conversation goes far beyond the bill, and includes the challenges California cities, communities, and water districts face in managing flood waters, repurposing flood control dams for water storage as well, and more.  To learn more about Senator Caballero, visit www.sd14.senate.ca.gov/ .Send a textWe Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

With growing frequency, water systems, cities, and other water utilities have been held for ransom as a direct result of a cybersecurity attack.  These attacks can hold a system hostage for millions of dollars, jeopardizing customer data as well as water and wastewater operations; ultimately impacting public health and safety.  Many systems have recently discovered that insurance is no longer covering the bill. For policymakers, believing “We’re fine” is not only naive but also dangerous and can be extremely expensive. This week, Darcy Villere and Darcy Burke welcomed American Water Works Association’s in-house cybersecurity expert, Dr. Kevin Morley, and Santa Margarita Water District Board Member and local government cybersecurity advisor, Frank Ury. Kevin and Frank share what the bad actors are doing and where they are hiding (It should scare you), why paranoia is not always such a bad thing, and why a recovery plan is critical. If your Cybersecurity or IT Team says, “We’re fine.” You need to listen. For more information about Dr. Kevin Morley and the American Water Works Association’s cybersecurity resources, visit https://www.awwa.org/resource/cybersecurity-guidance/.  To learn more about Frank Ury and Santa Margarita Water District, visit https://www.smwd.com/.  Let us know what you’re thinking! You can provide comments, suggestions, questions, or recommendations at https://www.ecwaterpac.com/podcast/. Thanks for tuning in! Send a textWe Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Agriculture scored a win recently when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California’s ruling that the Clean Water Act’s exemption for “irrigated agriculture return flows” shields projects like the Grassland Bypass Project (GBP) from federal National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting requirements.At the heart of the issue is David Cory, President of the Grasslands Basin Authority. This week David joins Darcy and Darcy and shares the history of the GBP, the related San Joaquin River Water Quality Improvement Project (SJRIP), the eleven-year litigation, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling, and much more. You’ll learn from David that even when you do things the right way from the beginning and involve the right stakeholders, things don’t always go as planned.  Be sure and listen-in! To learn more about David and the GBP, visit www.GBAAuthority.com.Send a textWe Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

One of Darcy Villere’s favorite projects is the long-awaited San Joaquin River Restoration Project. And after 16 years, there is some good news! This week Steve Chedester, Director of Policy and Programs for the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority, joins Darcy V. and Darcy B. He provides a great project overview, the benefits, new funding, and of course, the ever-important new project price tag. This is a multi-faceted project, with lots of complexities (Of course, there are – it’s a California water project!) and stakeholders. For more information about the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, visit www.restoresjr.net.  If you would like to learn more about Steve and the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority, visit www.sjrecwa.net. Send a textWe Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

Anja Raudabaugh, Chief Executive Officer of Western United Dairies joins Darcy and Darcy this week and shares how she led the effort to defeat Sonoma Ballot Proposition Measure Ja citizen-led initiative which would have banned dairy as well as similar farming operations. The ballot initiative was defeated with 85% of voters, NOT supporting the proposition. Anja was able to get the Republican Party of Sonoma County, but also the Democratic Party of Sonoma County AND the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to oppose the measure? How? That’s what the Darcy’s wanted to know! To find out Anja’s secrets, listen in!  To learn more about Anja and Western United Dairies, visit www.wudairies.com.  Send a textWe Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.

The K.I.S.S. method, Keep it Simple (Sweetheart), is easier said than done. This is especially true when you are coordinating 23 Groundwater Sustainability Agencies and their respective plans and consultants into one Groundwater Sustainability Plan. Yes, you read that right, twenty+ agencies!Jarrett Martin, General Manager of Central California Irrigation District (CCID), took on that task for the Delta-Mendota Subbasin and believes that after two failed attempts they are close to approval. Darcy Villere and Darcy Burke have been waiting to have Jarrett on for quite some time and were eager to learn how he did it! Jarrett makes it sound easy. He shares the ultimate goals of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and how he managed to ‘Keep It Simple’.Jarrett also shares how State Board staff knew and understood legacy conditions, which ended up being a game-changer. To find out more, and how Jarrett and the Delta-Mendota Subbasin achieved this herculean task, listen in!Send a textWe Grow California Podcast is paid for by the Exchange Contractors Federal PAC and Exchange Contractors State PAC and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee.