Public Safety · Imperial County
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved a Local Emergency proclamation on Tuesday, October 13, following Tropical Storm Rachel's weekend impact. Deputy Chief Cedric Cesena reported multiple rescues across the county, including locating two missing individuals north of Plaster City after at least 16 hours and supplying 750 gallons of water to roughly 20 stranded residents in Ogilby. A breach at the West Side Main Canal released substantial water, with the Imperial Irrigation District working on repairs. In Brawley, increased flows on the New River raised concerns for Eager Park and Cattle Call Park and Arena, with an estimated 12-inch water-level rise and about 1,500 acres of farmland saturated; heightened levels were expected to persist for approximately five days.
Local Business · Imperial County
The Imperial Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce is seeking six local businesses for a Haunted House Booth Competition on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026, at Westmorland City Park (201 S. F St.), starting at 6 p.m., with registration closing Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. The California Energy Commission has launched a $5 million Food Production Investment Program offering grants of $2.5 million to $5 million for energy efficiency and decarbonization projects at food processing and postharvest facilities across Imperial County. Arizona State University researchers are surveying Imperial County farmers on water access, land-use pressures, and agricultural decision-making in the Colorado River Delta region. The Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, with the Imperial County Farm Bureau, launched a voluntary Produce Pinning Map on Google Maps to help growers coordinate field usage with sheepherders.
Community News · Imperial County
The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors approved take-or-pay relief periods for 2026 agricultural water users under Section 8.1 of the district's Equitable Distribution Plan, allowing up to 7% of accepted apportionments (averaging 0.40 acre-feet per acre) to be offered through the Clearinghouse during designated late-2026 periods. Separately, the Brawley Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint Friday, Oct. 16, from 8 p.m. to midnight at an undisclosed city location, funded by a Cannabis Tax Fund Grant. Assemblyman Jeff Gonzalez (R-Indio) hosts two free community events in Brawley on Oct. 16: a morning coffee at Cafecito Bar and an evening town hall at the American Citizens Club. The First United Methodist Church of El Centro will hold its Paws and Claws Festival on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 5 to 8 p.m., featuring pet adoptions, live music, and free hot dogs for the first 50 attendees.
Community News · Imperial County
The Friends of El Centro Community Services Foundation is selling $25 Julian Apple Pies to fund youth sports, recreation, aquatics, and library summer programming in El Centro, with order pickup on Dec. 4, 2026. The City of El Centro will host its annual Trick-or-Treat at City Hall event Thursday, Oct. 29, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the City Hall Courtyard (1275 W. Main St.). The Brawley Public Library main branch at 400 Main St. will temporarily close Oct. 26 through Nov. 14 for construction and inventory; the Del Rio Branch remains open Mondays and Tuesdays, 4–7 p.m., and online resources stay accessible. The Calipatria Seniors Program will hold a Halloween potluck and costume contest Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Calipatria Community Center (150 N. Park Ave.), open to adults 60 and older.
Want tomorrow's Imperial County edition in your inbox? It's free.
Subscribe free
Social Events · El Centro, CA
The City of El Centro is hosting a free Día de los Muertos celebration themed "Celebrando Nuestras Raíces" on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Downtown Square, featuring live music, food vendors, lotería, children's activities, and arts and crafts. The event doubles as an unofficial unveiling of the newly renovated Downtown Square, converted into a food truck court through a $4.782 million Clean California grant from the California Department of Transportation. Residents may submit photographs of deceased loved ones for a community altar at the El Centro Community Center, 375 S. First St., through Thursday, Nov. 5. The city is also actively recruiting food vendors to operate from the revitalized square.
Public Safety · El Centro, CA
The El Centro Police Department inaugurated its new headquarters at 1150 Main Street on Thursday, October 15, in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by city leaders and residents. The approximately 40,000-square-foot facility was funded largely through Measure P, a half-cent tax approved by El Centro voters in 2016, replacing the department's former location in the old Chamber of Commerce building. Police Chief Kelly Brown said the building was designed around police work processes, including new interview rooms off the lobby, and aims to bring the department into the 21st century with updated technology and resources.
Public Safety · Imperial County
The Imperial County District Attorney's Office has secured a $212,500 grant from Sun Community Federal Credit Union to fund a three-year deployment of an AI-powered criminal investigative platform by Closure Intelligence, Inc., effective Oct. 6, 2026 through Oct. 5, 2029. The software will transcribe, translate, organize, and analyze case evidence including police reports, jail communications, search warrant returns, and scanned files for deputy district attorneys. DA George Marquez arranged the private funding partnership to bypass county fiscal constraints, and the Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved the agreements. The technology rollout complements recent staffing additions, including four new paralegals and a post-bar law clerk program.
Public Safety · El Centro, CA
The Imperial County Board of Supervisors approved funding agreements with Central Union High School District on Tuesday, October 13, to install color-coded air quality signage at Southwest High School, Central Union High School, and Desert Oasis High School in El Centro. The program, funded by approximately $75,000 in California Air Resources Board special revenue funds ($25,000 per site), will display real-time EPA Air Quality Index levels using green, yellow, orange, red, or purple flags visible to students, staff, parents, and the public. Nine El Centro Elementary School District campuses received similar signage last year as part of a broader effort to bring air filtration and monitoring to 34 local schools serving more than 22,000 children affected by air pollution.
Community News · Calexico, CA
Linda Lara-Jacobo, an SDSU Imperial Valley assistant professor in public health based in Calexico, was named one of Latino Leaders magazine's 101 Most Influential Latinos of 2026 in the science category. Her recognition highlights her environmental health and toxicology research focused on the Imperial Valley–Mexicali borderlands, including studies of water quality in the Tijuana River and New River. Lara co-founded SDSU's Binational Border Research Lab for Environmental Health and collaborates with researchers at Mexico's Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC). She also recently received the American Association for the Advancement of Science's 2026 Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science.
Community News · El Centro, CA
WomanHaven, an Imperial County non-profit established in 1977 to address domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new office building at 1225 W. Main Street in El Centro. Executive Director Gina Vargas said the move allows the organization to strengthen connections between departments and expand counseling and support services. The organization provides a 24-hour crisis hotline, emergency and transitional housing, rapid rehousing, homelessness prevention, counseling, economic empowerment, and community outreach throughout Imperial County, and officials emphasized that services are available to men as well as women.
