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, how California politicians and media have used Native voices when expedient while ignoring others, 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, how rural communities have been hurt by California’s soft-on-crime policies, and much more.

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.

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