Eddie “E.J.” Crandell has deep roots in Lake County, California, where he serves as chairman of the county board of supervisors and vice chair of the Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians.
On Friday, Supervisor Crandell generously made time for an interview between meetings. I wanted to ask about his board’s bold decision to reach out to President Trump asking the federal government to intervene in the planned demolition of two dams that supply water for 600,000 residents in rural Northern California—something no other local county boards have done even as the date for final dam surrender looms. Last week, a Trump official said the Bureau of Reclamation is looking into the request.
Our conversation was broad-ranging. We talked about his career of military service, the work he’s done representing rural and tribal communities, his meetings with Gavin Newsom, and his views on the dam project. We talked about how California politicians and media have used Native voices when expedient while ignoring others. We talked about the negative feelings many American Indians have toward dams, pressing issues on reservations today including missing and murdered indigenous people, and how Supervisor Crandell is working to address this devastating trend in his own community.
We talked about how a powerful NGO called CalTrout single-handedly kept Supervisor Crandell and Lake County out of a group that could have taken over management of the Potter Valley Project. Supervisor Crandell explained how Lake County has been impacted by California’s soft-on-crime policies, and how Sacramento has ignored his concerns. He explained how the decision by one of his political predecessors in the 1800s to give away local water right has strengthened his commitment to protect Lake County’s resources on his watch. We talked about service over politics, how a background in tribal leadership has informed his career in local government, working across the aisle, and fighting for a seat at the table for rural California.
This is an underdog story between an underserved rural county and some of California’s most powerful interests, ambitious politicians, and influential NGOs. What started as a local clash has reached the national stage, and Supervisor Crandell is right in the middle of it.
Share this post