Latino voters in Coachella Valley seeking access to water, sewage services

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A south-bound train passes farm workers shortly after sunrise on October 10, 2007 in the Coachella Valley near Mecca, California. Some Coachella Valley farmworkers are suing over poor working conditions and retaliation once they complained. — A south-bound train passes farm workers shortly after sunrise on October 10, 2007 in the Coachella Valley near Mecca, California.

Lawyers for the group say the Coachella Valley Water District is unfairly denying water and sewage services to the poorer, eastern side of the valley.

A group of residents in the Coachella Valley has complained to the Coachella Valley Water District about poor water access and sewage problems. They say at issue is the lack of diversity among local leaders and they claim the water district has violated California's Voting Rights Act by not allowing for sufficient representation of Latinos. For more on this, we're joined by Megan Beaman. She's a civil rights lawyer representing some of the Latino voters living in the Coachella Valley.