Desert Garden Battlefield: Winning the War on Cucurbit Pests

They Want to Charge You for Asking Questions. Let's Talk About That.

Tabitha Davies, the Manure Maiden, covers 48 hours of updates across three active investigations in the Coachella Valley and issues an urgent call to action on state legislation moving Monday. In this episode: the 50-year Cadiz water agreement CVWD approved with "N/A" in the legal review column, and what we still do not know about who drove that deal. The documented fact that CVWD Director Castulo Estrada also serves as Utilities Director for the City of Coachella, the same city that approved the Stronghold data center agreement, and what that means structurally. The termination of Stronghold Power Systems' agreement with Coachella and the open questions that did not end with it. The defense contractor Armtec Defense Technologies, a TransDigm subsidiary, that turned up sharing a water permit and a consultant with Stronghold in CVWD's own CPRA production. And AB 1821, the California bill being heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 30 that would allow government agencies to charge you by the hour for public records and sue you for asking. Tabitha also announces in-person and virtual CPRA workshops for anyone who wants to learn how to use California's public records law themselves, plus an open invitation to come volunteer with the animals at Esperanza's Sanctuary in Sky Valley. To oppose AB 1821 before Monday's hearing: Call the Senate Judiciary Committee at 916-651-4113 Email sjud.fax@sen.ca.gov [sjud.fax@sen.ca.gov] with subject line: OPPOSE AB 1821 Esperanza's Sanctuary: esperanzassanctuary.com Volunteer and workshop inquiries: esperanzassanctuary@gmail.com [esperanzassanctuary@gmail.com]

From waste to worth what we actually do here. And a coffee and canines moment that made our whole week.

Breaking down the newly launched composting course From Waste to Worth, built for horse facilities and homesteads ready to turn a waste problem into a closed-loop system. She covers what is in the course, the free implementation tools, and how to get hands-on support beyond the curriculum. Then she gets into what is happening at the farm right now: compost available, plants you can order any day of the week for on-site or farmers market pickup, and the Saturday market running every week 8am to 1pm. Two dog training slots just opened. And she shares a Coffee and Canines moment this week that stopped her cold: two reactive dogs, twenty feet apart, laying calm while their families drank coffee and did the work. No stress. No aversive tools. Just progress that belongs entirely to the families who showed up. She closes with a direct ask for summer volunteers because the desert does not take a season off and neither do the animals. Come find them Saturday.

Ask for the Records: How to Use the California Public Records Act to Protect Your Tap

This episode explains how groundwater and Colorado River water are managed in the Coachella Valley, why water is scarce and valuable, and how a proposed transfer of the ID8 system to Mission Springs raised concerns about transparency, development, and water quality (including chromium-6). Host Tabitha Davies also walks listeners through how to use the California Public Records Act (CPRA) to request documents, demand accountability from water agencies, and protect community water resources.

What's Really in Your Tap? The Truth About Local Water and Who's Watching

This episode examines what is in local tap water, who monitors it, and why residents should demand clearer answers from agencies like Mission Springs Water District and local city halls. It explores risks from cannabis cultivation runoff, industrial uses such as data centers, and legacy contaminants, and stresses the difference between awards for transparency and real accountability. The host offers practical steps: get an independent water test, attend public meetings, support local grassroots groups, and keep asking questions to protect children, gardens, and shared groundwater.

Water Is Not a Luxury: Who Decides Who Gets Clean Water?

This episode explores how access to clean water is decided in public meetings and why transparency matters. It explains the disparities in water quality, the role of laws like the Brown Act, and how vague agendas and inaccessible meetings can exclude communities from decisions that affect their health. The host outlines concrete actions listeners can take: find your water district, attend and comment at meetings, push for hybrid and translated meetings, and make notification a normal part of community conversations to hold officials accountable.